


Rainier Days

by Hykirby



Category: Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-08
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:48:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 35
Words: 38,993
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25793893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hykirby/pseuds/Hykirby
Summary: Weeks after the Berry’s first incident at Foster’s, the home discovers that she has a twin sister named Cherry looking to stay. Misunderstandings ensue as Bloo is certain she might be Berry in disguise, but she proves otherwise in every way. With hints of romance on the rise, no one expected there would be jealousy brewing on the back burner...
Relationships: Bloo/OC
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was a story I had started writing over a decade ago, and after years of contemplating its climax to the resolution (and laziness), I finally finished it the other day.  
> This story is based around the fan character I created when the show was still airing named Cherry, and she is posed as a fraternal twin sister to Berry.  
> Yes, she is a love interest to Bloo, but believe me when I say that it wasn’t love at first sight or overly saturated in sweetness. ^^;  
> This story is designed to be one heck of an emotional roller coaster, so I hope you enjoy it! :)

It was another fine day at Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends; the day seemed to be the same as any other day. Some friends were outside; others were inside waltzing around the house, reading, gaming or even resting. As the day went on, everything was normal, until the doorbell unexpectedly rang. Mr. Herriman stepped out of his office to call for Frankie's attention.

"Miss Frances?" he asked. "Do you mind getting the door? My hands are a bit tied at the moment."

Frankie was coming down the stairs holding a box filled with newspaper and other recyclables.

'He always says that…' she thought in disbelief.

She walked over to the door and put down the box to open the door. She looked about until she looked down and spotted a small, imaginary friend holding a small suitcase.

She appeared as a reddish-pink creature with large eyes and black pupils. A curl dresses the front of her head whereas twin leaf-like tufts and a long, thin sprig of hair lines the top of her head defying gravity. Her body was near the shape of an hourglass, but to Frankie she looked oddly familiar.

"Oh, hello," she said. "I assume that you're looking for a home?"

The friend looked up at Frankie with a soft smile.

"Yes." she answered. Frankie smiled pleasantly.

"Well, come on in. I know you'll find this place to your liking."

She nodded and walked in. Once the door closed behind her, Frankie just had to ask something.

"Hey, you don't happen to know of someone similar that was here a few weeks ago, do you?"

She turned around and looked up at her.

"Huh? Oh, are you talking about Berry?"

"Yeah…Wait how'd you know that?"

The friend smiled.

"Of course I'd know that. I'm her twin sister, Cherry. A fraternal twin, of course."

Frankie was surprised.

"She has a twin? I didn't know that. You look so similar!"

Cherry laughed a little.

"It's no big deal. We get mixed up all the time."

The chat kept going on until something was heard coming out of the dining room.

"One, one, one…" It was Bloo. He was messing with a paddle ball as usual. Once he spotted the pink friend he stopped to stare in suspicion.

"Hey…" he started and walked up to them. "Don't I know you? You seem so familiar…Mary, right?"

Cherry looked at him and thought for a second.

"Wait a minute. Aren't you the one that Berry likes? What's your name…you're Bloo, right?"

Bloo just shrugged.

"Yeah, of course you remember me, Sheri."

"Not really. I'm just her twin sister, Cherry."

"Twin, huh?" He stared at her closely. "More like a disguise if you ask me...And a bad one at that."

"Huh?" She asks confusingly.

"I'll be keeping a sharp eye on you. There's no way I'm going to be letting my guard down now."

"There's no need. You'll see the difference sooner or later."

Bloo shrugged again and walked back into the dining room.

"I wouldn't mind him," Frankie said. "Anyway, I think you're going to like it here! Come, let's get you registered first in Mr. Herriman's office and I'll give you a quick tour."

The pink friend was still looking at the entrance to the dining hall.

"Sure, no problem." she said, and they both walked up the stairs.

Bloo, Wilt, Eduardo and Coco peered out of the dining hall and noticed Frankie and Cherry walk up the stairs.

"I'm telling you that's her!" Bloo whispered loudly. "I swear, she's come back for more of my attention!"

"Hmm, I don't know, Bloo," said Wilt, rubbing his chin. "She does look like Berry, but her color is different; I mean, she could be in a disguise, but it's unlikely."

"Si," said Eduardo.

"Coco coco coco coco? (You really think she's in disguise?)" Coco asked.

"I know she's in disguise!" Bloo replied. "She may not be on me now, but this could all be just a ruse to take my guard down!"

"Coco coco coco... (You got to know for sure…)"

"Coco's right," Wilt replied. "I'm sorry, but you need more proof to conclude this. If you can find that out, we'll handle the rest."

Bloo was stunned and stepped out to stare at them.

"What!? You can't be serious; I can't do this alone!"

"You started it." said Eduardo. The three began walking back into the dining hall.

"But, you guys! I need you for this!" Bloo looked down and sighed. "Fine then; I'll just have Mac help me out, even though he's not coming back until tomorrow…"

Bummed, he walked back into the dining hall.


	2. Chapter 2

After the tour, Frankie and Cherry headed towards the dining hall and stopped at the entrance.

"It was nice of you to show me around." Cherry said.

"Don't mention it." Frankie replied, smiling.

Cherry spotted the blue friend sitting near the middle-right side of the table. He noticed her and responded back with an "I'm-watching-you" glare. She just sighed normally and scratched her head.

"Say, are you hungry?" Frankie asked. "It might've been awhile since you've gotten here and taken the tour, so…"

Cherry looked back at her.

"Oh, I'm not really hungry. I had something before I was brought here."

Frankie agreed and was now walking towards the kitchen doors.

"Well, okay then. I'm going to go clean up afterwards. I hope you enjoy your stay."

"Um...Mind if I help?"

Frankie stopped with the door pushed open and turned her head.

"Really? Though I'm usually the hard worker around here…Why do you want to help?"

"Oh, well, I like cooking and cleaning. They're pretty much some of my favorite hobbies other than lounging around. I mean, if you don't mind, I'd like to help out."

Frankie's head tilted with a weird look.

"Well, I don't know. You're a friend here, so we have to treat you just like everyone else…"

She gave it some more thought.

"Okay then. You can help, but only when I call for it, okay?"

Cherry smiled softly and nodded.

After dinner, the pink friend was asked by Frankie if she would help clear the table. While she cleared parts a bit at a time, she also noticed Bloo still sitting there snacking on cake.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Helping Frankie," Cherry said while stacking more plates. She soon recognized the voice and turned.

"Oh, hello." She smiled at him. "I like cleaning. It's one of my hobbies. By helping her I can take up some of her daily workload."

"That's just silly. What kind of imaginary friend would rather clean than play?"

"I would. I may be small, but I can make it fun!"

She jumps onto the table and starts running around the length of the tabletop, quickly grouping up the dishes while excluding Bloo's plate in piles closest to the kitchen. She then stands on a chair holding the tablecloth at the opposing end of the dishes, pulls it up slightly and immediately yanks it down, causing a wave of air underneath the tablecloth to forcefully send any remaining silverware flying and collecting by the dishes. Bloo's plate went flying as well, but Cherry quickly caught it and placed it before him.

"You plan to finish this, right?" She says with a smile.

The blue friend was quite surprised, but he shook it off like it was nothing.

"Well, yeah!" He says, finishing it off. "But I know what won't finish...your little plan."

The smile left her face.

"…Excuse me?"

"I know that you're hiding those feelings. You may not be now, but I'm still keeping an eye on you, Larry."

"It's Cherry."

He shrugged and then got out of his chair to exit the dining hall. The pink friend still looked at him from behind with a confused look, but once again shook it off as she changed her focus to bringing the dishes into the kitchen.


	3. Chapter 3

The next few days, in the afternoon, very few friends were in the library. Cherry was there stocking up on some literature until Mac walked in looking for Bloo. He was in there too, playing against Coco in a game of checkers. The game wasn't very long either, depending on the fact that he was making the worst moves on the board.

"What!?" he yelled. "That's not fair! You're totally cheating!"

"Coco coco. Coco coco coco… (I'm not cheating. You're just making the worst moves…)"

"Worst moves? You have pieces on black and white squares! This isn't chess!"

"Have you noticed that this is a library?" Mac stepped in.

"Oh, hey Mac." the others replied.

Cherry looked up to see what was going on. Once Bloo spotted her noticing, he got Mac's attention.

"Mind if I talk to you for a second?" He asked Mac.

They both walked behind a bookshelf.

"How much do you want to bet that that's Jerry over there?"

Bloo points to Cherry who was sitting at a lone table a few yards away from them. Mac stepped out to see and Cherry just smiled softly with a short wave of her hand. Mac responded back with a wave and returned back behind the shelf.

"You mean, Berry?" he asked. "But I've noticed something different about her…"

Bloo's mouth dropped open.

"Are you kidding? That has to be her in disguise!"

"Disguise?" Mac asked in a weird look. "What made you think that?"

"She's hiding her inner feelings, Mac…Haven't you noticed?"

"I only noticed her today, Bloo…If you believe that, then I'll ask her myself."

"No, wait!" Bloo called, but Mac didn't respond.

He walked out from behind the shelf and towards Cherry. She noticed him by her peripheral view and looked up.

"Hi. Are you new here?" Mac asked.

"Yes. Are you Bloo's creator?"

"Yeah. My name is Mac. I come here everyday to prevent him from getting adopted. Listen, have you heard about someone who has come here a few weeks ago and was strapped to the world's largest rubber band ball?"

The pink friend perked up.

"You must mean my twin sister, Berry," she replied. "I watched the whole thing on TV."

"She's your sister?" Mac asks surprised.

"Yeah. It's true that people can sometimes mix us up."

Mac smiled.

"I can surely see the resemblance, most of it anyway."

As she was talking, Wilt and the others walked up to the table including Bloo himself.

"Berry and I may look the same by figure, but we have different personalities: she's usually the emotional type and loves getting her own way, while I'm the exact opposite."

"Really?" Eduardo asks.

Cherry nodded.

"Since our creators were twins, they both imagined the same type of imaginary friend, according to their favorite fruits and personalities. Later on, their parents were divorced, and both of them had to separate, along with me and Berry. Ever since I heard the news about what happened to her, I figured she must've been here before my creator dropped me off a few weeks later."

Everyone had understood her story except for Bloo. While everyone else decided to introduce themselves, he still thought she was Berry, so he continued to glare at her while crossing his arms. Cherry closed up the book she was reading and put it back on the shelf.

"Well, it was nice to meet you all. I have to help Frankie on a few things. I'll be done soon." She ran out the room.

There were several instances where Cherry had come across other friends who needed assistance after working with Frankie. Wilt was one of the few, whom she offered help towards hanging an antique chandelier. He wasn't tall enough to hook the remaining pieces within one of the home's many rooms, so she gladly pitched in.

"I appreciate it," Wilt said. "But you didn't have to."

"I didn't want to see you struggling," the pink friend smiled. "Besides I'm happy to do it. It must have been a pain putting all of this together!"

"It would've taken more than a few hours...but my time was definitely cut in half with you here."

"Were you always the type that likes to help others?"

"You bet. I don't look for it, but my height has come in handy for a lot of friends here. It gave me purpose, you know?" He offered his hand for Cherry to stand on and lift her up to the chandelier as she held one of the completed pieces. "I felt like it became a need for me: opening doors, moving boxes, and reaching things on top shelves...I honestly love seeing smiles on everyone's faces and not expect anything in return."

"You sure you're happy with selling yourself short?" She asked, hooking one of the pieces. "I think you're worth more than what you're giving yourself credit for."

The tall friend appeared confused, bringing her down to eye level.

"What do you mean?"

"I know we haven't really talked much, but aside from your own friend circle I've seen how you treat others. You're always kind, compassionate and respectful of others, and it's usually a rare occurrence for random acts of kindness to flash before you. The more I think that, the more I remind myself that it's not worth waiting for."

"Why do you think that?"

The pink friend turned to him and chuckled.

"Because I'm exactly the same way."

"Really? Small world!"

There was one final piece to attach, so within a minute they managed to get it hooked on.

"Thanks again for the help," Wilt smiled. "Not to mention providing some really good advice!"

"No problem," Cherry said. "I know we both could use acknowledgement every now and then, but let's not forget that good things will come in time."

"Right you are. We have to hang out sometime soon."

"I can make myself available. Just let me know whenever!"


	4. Chapter 4

Hours have passed and Mac was about to leave once Cherry finished cleaning. He was standing in front of the house's entrance.

"Sorry we didn't get to talk very often," said Cherry. "You'll be back tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah," Mac said with a smile. "I'll be back as soon as I can. It was nice meeting you, Cherry."

Cherry smiled softly as he waved bye to Bloo and his friends until the door closed. Wilt, Eduardo and Coco left the area, and Cherry was just about to leave until Bloo stopped her.

"How are you still keeping this up?" he asked. "Why are you still trying to avoid me?"

"Is it because I'm not Berry?" she asked in return. "Haven't you noticed that?"

"I can see that, but I can't tell that just by your 'personality' and 'use of emotion'."

"I just don't understand why you would still think-..."

"I don't think that, I know that."

Cherry stood there still confused, scratching her head in response. Bloo starts walking off.

"Just remember this: I'll be right as soon as you reveal yourself. Be prepared, Carrie!"

"It's Cherry!"

To Cherry, she figured that he had never heard that. Still confused, she sadly sighed and slowly walked upstairs.

The next morning, the pink friend was walking down one of the bedroom halls till she heard someone crying. The sound seemed to have been close by. Approaching the room where the crying was the loudest, she knocked on the door.

"Hello?" She said. "Is everything all right?"

"Is that Cereza…?" The voice said from the other side. The pink friend was able to figure out who it was, but took her a moment to think that he might be saying her name in Spanish.

"Yes, that's me. Is that you, Eduardo? You okay with me coming in?"

"Si...If you like."

She entered the room, which appeared pretty normal: a bunk bed where Eduardo, Bloo and Wilt shared, nightstand, and Coco's nest in an opposing corner. There was also a sizable dresser and a slide door closet. Cherry could see the friend sobbing while concealed in his blanket nearby the bed. In her eyes it was good that the other friends weren't here, especially Bloo. Seeing him was the last of her problems right now. Everyone else probably wanted to get breakfast while there was still plenty.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"It's nothing…You'll probably laugh at me."

"Try me."

"...I've been missing my stuffed conejo."

"Conejo?"

"Rabbit. It's been a favorite toy that gave me courage. I've had it before I came to Foster's, but now I've been desperately looking for it…!"

"For having it that long, it must be pretty sentimental, huh?"

"Si…" he sniffled. "My creator Nina made it for me. Whenever I have it, it reminds me of what it means to be brave. Since it went missing, lately I can't help but be afraid of even my own shadow! I can't even confront others without running away…"

Cherry thought for a moment, but could somewhat relate to his troubles.

"That's what I believed when I lost something I cherished," she began. "Long before I came here, my favorite book was torn to pieces by my sister."

"What!? But why would she do that?"

"I know it sounds bad, but she did it for my own good. Back then I had believed that book had the answers to all of my insecurities...that it would help me become a better person, except it didn't."

"What do you mean?"

"It's easy to put faith in something that you believe will give you strength," she places a hand on her chest. "But the strength truly lies within yourself."

"Myself?"

"That's right. Like my favorite book and your stuffed rabbit, the only one that can bring out that confidence is ourselves."

"But...that's always been so hard for me…"

"I've said the same thing too. It was a hard cliff to get off of." She smiled. "Sometimes you gotta take that leap of faith, and I'm willing to jump it with you no matter how long it takes."

Eduardo never expected Cherry to be this nurturing. To think that she used to be similar to him in the past felt like it was definitely a push in the right direction. He no longer cried, and was prepared to thank her for the advice.

POP!

The door to the room was still open, so the two got surprised by the sudden sound of what looked to be a balloon just outside the room. Ed picked up on the laughing immediately after. Much to his surprise, it was Bendy: the deemed troublemaker friend surely the whole house knows about.

"Who would've thought I'd find two scaredy cats instead of one?" The troublemaker friend joked. "This will definitely go in my records!"

Eduardo surprisingly didn't react too much to the sound, but to Cherry, she appeared completely frozen. Her backside was facing the door the whole time, but she was definitely showing signs of distress: tightly shut eyes, hunched over back, and even wrapping her arms around herself. Did she have an unspoken memory of balloons? Either way, it caused him to drop his blanket and shoot a glare at Bendy.

"...You have five seconds to say sorry to Cereza," he stated, nearly charging to grab him by his hair so that he couldn't escape. "What you've done is unforgivable, and I will not tolerate you doing this to her ever again!"

That clearly shot fear in the yellow friend's eyes.

"O-Okay, okay! I'm sorry!" He pleaded, looking absolutely terrified.

"If this happens again, I will show no mercy!"

"I-I got it! I won't do this again! Just drop me already!"

Reading into his sincerity no matter how much the friend struggled, Ed simply smiled and dropped him.

"Gracias."

Upon release, the friend scurried away. Cherry snapped out of it shortly after. Despite being unable to physically move earlier, she was able to hear Ed's interaction with Bendy.

"You see?" She managed to say with a smile, and was still collecting herself. "It was in there somewhere."

"You were right," he replied, turning to her. "Guess we both have to work on ourselves. Your fear is safe with me, too."

"I appreciate it."


	5. Chapter 5

When Mac came by later in the day, his friends gladly greeted him and went by the video arcade room to play for a few hours. Cherry didn't play anything, but she didn't mind watching. At the same time she stared at Bloo about what he had said to her last night. Feeling a bit unwanted, she walked out the room without the others knowing. Mac looked around to notice that she wasn't around a few minutes later, and told his friends that he'll be right back. Searching the hallways, he soon heard a crash from the library. When he entered, there was a large pile of books in front of one of the bookcases on the floor. Cherry popped out from under the pile.

"Cherry? What happened here?" He asked.

The pink friend noticed him and looked surprised.

"Mac? I didn't know you'd be here...I thought you were in the arcade."

"I was, but I noticed then that you weren't in there with the others, so I went to look for you. What are you doing here?"

She got up out of the pile and started putting the books back on their shelves.

"Oh, well, I thought the library needed some organizing, so I thought I'd come here..."

"…Really?"

Cherry looked at him and noticed how he wasn't going to fall for a trick like that, so she just sighed.

"I'm not really in the mood to play. It's because of what Bloo had me think about all day."

Mac stared at her with an angry look.

"Oh, great. What did he do this time?"

"He still thinks I'm my sister. Ever since he spoke to me about it last night, I had this weird feeling that he doesn't want me around because of it…I never should've thought coming here after my sister would be a great idea…"

Mac walked over to the pile of books to help.

"Don't feel too bad. Bloo mostly has a knack for seeing the big picture. I've told him time and time again that jumping to conclusions would only get him nowhere, so don't let him get to you."

Cherry smiled softly.

"Thanks, Mac," she said. Both of them finished stacking up the books, and then left the library.

During the evening, Mac went home and the house joined in for dinner. Cherry ate and gladly helped Frankie with doing the dishes and clearing the table once everyone had finished. She thanked her for the help and walked out of the dining hall heading for the stairs until Bloo came by and stopped her.

"Admit it already," he said. "Say you're Terry so the others can finally believe me! Like I said before, you can't resist me, so admit it!"

Cherry stood there blankly looking down at the floor, not saying a word.

"Well?" he asked. "What are you waiting for?"

Cherry finally had the ability to speak, but with an angry, calm-sounding voice.

"For the last time, it's Cherry," she said, still staring at the floor.

"Ha! Yeah right! You can't just change your name and expect it to sound convincing."

"Would it help if you could say it right?"

"Why would that matter? I can tell that it's having some effect on you! Trust me, it won't be long till this plan of yours falls apart and everything returns to normal. You know, such as hiding your feelings from me, and containing your dislike for my buddy Mac! Though I'm impressed that you've come this far! I guess I haven't tried hard enough to push your buttons."

"The only button you've been pushing is you getting on my last nerve…"

"Why haven't you tried anything then?"

"Because I'm not trying anything! Why would I risk my privilege to stay here?"

"Because you won't admit it!"

She was just upset about the whole thing not coming to an end. Her hands were crushed tightly into fists, and then she cooled off and turned to him.

"Look," she says. "I know that you've been thinking about this ever since I've been here, but do I seem like her to you?"

"The idea of you claiming to be 'her twin sister' isn't fooling m-...!"

"Then keep thinking that! I don't care!" She says, cutting him off. "I've been here for almost a week, and I'm still being pushed around because of what you think. I've done all I can so far just to make you, your friends, and everyone else around here have easier lives, but it seems to me that you're the only one who doesn't appreciate what I do!"

The blue friend stared at her blankly.

"W-Wait a minute. What do you mean?" he asked.

"Why do you still pick on me like that? I've told you many times: Berry is my sister. She has come and gone from this place and hasn't returned since! Just stop comparing me to her...I'm nothing like her!"

Bloo was still staring at her blankly, and tried to respond back.

"…Listen, Harry, I'm so-..."

"It's Cherry!" she bellowed.

The blue friend was taken aback. Cherry suddenly noticed the shocked look on his face, which made her look down to immediately recollect herself.

"She may be my sister," she said softly, wrapping herself in her own arms. "But I hate it when I feel she's been growing on me…"

"Growing...on you?" Bloo overheard.

She sighed to cool down and then looked back at him.

"Listen...what I'm trying to say is that I'm not lying to you. I can't make all this up just for nothing. All I wanted from you was at least some appreciation, but it sounds like I'll never get that in return."

She started towards the stairs.

"I'm nothing like my sister, and I will not tolerate anyone who thinks otherwise."

She turns her head one last time, revealing the most stern, yet saddened face he had ever seen from her.

"…Goodnight." she said, and continued up the stairs.

Bloo stood there with a blank face for a few moments before he looked down at the floor.

"This isn't true, is it?" he asked himself. "No, she can't be…is she? Oh man…what have I done..?"

He suddenly felt a weird feeling in his stomach and wrapped his arms around it.

"Great…the feeling of guilt. Look what you've gotten yourself into…"


	6. Chapter 6

The next morning, Friday, Cherry helped out Frankie clean the foyer. Frankie noticed that Cherry remained quiet the whole time, sweeping the same spot for who knows how long.

"You okay?" she asked. "You're usually happy when it comes to cleaning. Is something wrong?"

Cherry sighed and looked up at her.

"Bloo still won't let up about thinking I'm still Berry," she said. "I talked to him last night about putting an end to it, but I'm not sure if he was able to understand…"

The teen chuckled a bit.

"Bloo will always be Bloo," she said. "I wouldn't worry. In cases like this, I would just ignore him. He'll come to his senses soon…if only he had a sense…"

"Thanks, Frankie," Cherry says, smiling softly.

The day continued normally just like any other day. Cherry did what was told by Frankie, and tried ignoring him. It worked of course, but now Bloo can't seem to get her attention whenever he tried to. He kept wondering why she kept giving him the cold shoulder until the next day came by.

Late in the morning, Cherry wanted to head to the library to rent a couple books. She spotted Coco upon entering, who was seen writing something in a notebook at one of the tables. She seemed really engrossed in what she was doing, so the pink friend figured not to intrude. Proceeding over to the bookshelves, Coco spontaneously caught her in her peripheral.

"Coco! (Cherry!)" the bird began, with an attempt to flag her down. "Coco coco! (Over here!)"

Cherry wasn't super familiar with her speech, but upon looking she knew Coco was calling attention to her. Worried that the conversation would be awkward, she still smiled and sat at the chair across from her.

"Hey, Coco," she started. "What's up?"

"Coco coco coco coco. Coco coco, coco coco coco? (I've seen you here pretty often. Since you love reading, could you proofread this for me?)"

While Cherry was still trying to decipher her words, she noticed Coco slide the notebook towards her.

"So, you want me to proofread?" She believed it was the right question.

The bird friend simply nodded. It was relieving that she at least understood that much, but she felt unprepared for what was written in front of her.

...Except the words written were actually in English. There were even words of her language within parentheses just above them. Regardless of what she thought, she gave it a read:

You thought I'd make this hard for you? I know my language can be tough to understand.

Was she...having a conversation with her? How did she even prepare for this? The pink friend looked at Coco with surprise, but the bird friend smiled and signaled her to keep reading.

I figured it'd be better to talk to you this way, since I know it's not common for others to understand me at first.

"How did you know I was anxious?" Cherry wondered. "I would've talked to you, but I didn't want to disturb your writing…"

I appreciate the courtesy! I've been wanting to talk to you since your arrival. I heard your stay here so far hasn't been very heartwarming.

The pink friend had to think about that.

"Yeah," she sighed. "Pretty much everyone here has been great, but I haven't had much luck with Bloo. Despite his eagerness to prove that I'm my sister, it's been a chore to handle."

Unbeknownst to them, a certain blue friend was passing by the library. He heard his name earlier, so he stood just to the right of the door to listen in.

"Lately I've been avoiding him," she continued. "I mean, I honestly don't know why I came to Foster's knowing that Berry's actions have prevented me from having a normal life. Maybe she somehow got into his head...but how could she? I can't tell whether she's really Bloo in disguise or she was manipulative enough to get through to his self-centered brain!"

How would you describe him?

"He's selfish, immature, manipulative, and downright narcissistic."

Hearing that felt as if an arrow went through Bloo's chest. He took a moment to re-evaluate himself. Did Cherry really come off to him that way? Just thinking about it only made him feel worse.

"But...I can't be mad at that."

Bloo was ready to leave the area until he was stopped by those words.

"It's not his fault that my sister affected him in some way. I wouldn't mind being friends with him, but if he still thinks of me as her then maybe it wasn't meant to be. I'm better off rolling with the punches at this point…"

You never know...He's known to care for others when it comes down to it. He's not really the type to show it behind closed doors, but perhaps you might have what it takes to expose it more.

"Expose his caring side? Maybe, but I'm not one to make that jump." She rests her head on the table. "I could care less if he wants to be friends. I just...want him to respect me."

Feeling like a jerk was one thing, but this was for his own good. He really wants to talk to her again, but this wasn't the best time. Taking her words with a grain of salt, he walked away. Coco never saw this side of Cherry before, and couldn't help but smile.

Do you feel better after talking about it?

"Yeah, I do," she smiled. "I never realized this, but your language looks more understandable than I thought."

Oh?

"I've been analyzing it the more I read: whimsical, spontaneous, and just a touch of respect." She looks at her with nearly sparkles in her eyes. "It's interesting enough to get behind."

The bird friend was a bit worried, as this was as far as she wrote to converse with Cherry. All that aside, she needed to ask something.

"Coco...coco coco coco? (You...understand it already?)" she asked.

"Coco. Coco coco coco. (Crystal. I appreciate the lesson.)" Cherry smiled.

She was surprised the pink friend picked it up so quickly. Without realizing it, Cherry had grabbed the notebook and wrote something in her language and slid it back to her before getting up from the chair.

"Guess I'll rent more books another time," she said, waving. "Frankie and I gotta sweep the foyer. I'll see you around!"

"Coco! (You too!)"

What did she write in her notebook? Turning to the appropriate page, she smiled.

Coco coco. Coco coco coco (You're an amazing friend. Thanks for listening.).

She'll cherish this book forever.


	7. Chapter 7

After lunch came and went on Saturday, Frankie and Cherry were sweeping and mopping the tile floors in the foyer again. As the pink friend was sweeping, she came across a voice that was coming from behind the side of the stairs afar from Frankie. It was Bloo. Without disturbing Frankie, he called her to meet there. She looked at him and turned her back to him, continuing to sweep the floor without other interruptions about a yard away.

"Come on...Just hear what I have to say! You've been ignoring me the past couple of days..."

Bloo just stood there still confused, but he sighed and tried talking to see if she would listen.

"Listen," he said with an arm behind his head and avoiding eye contact. "I've been thinking about what you said that night. I'm sorry for everything...I've been a complete jerk to you. I've been so focused on thinking you'd be Per-, I mean Berry in disguise, that I never gave you the chance to explain yourself…"

Cherry heard all of this, and stopped sweeping. Bloo eventually looked at her.

"Please…I'm being honest here. If you want to keep ignoring me, then I'm sorry for wasting your time…"

"...Wait."

She had stopped him from hitting the stairs as she rested her broom beside the staircase and turned to face him.

"I'm sorry for ignoring you. Frankie proposed for me to do that, that way it would make you think about it."

The blue friend turned around.

"Frankie did?" he asked, before looking away again. "...Then I must be an even bigger jerk if she's in on it. Well, I won't bother you anymore if you're still mad..."

Cherry shook her head.

"No, I'm not mad." she smiled softly. "I've actually been waiting for you to say that to me."

He was stunned for a bit, but managed to recover.

"So…it's cool, right? Everything's back to normal?"

Cherry nodded. Bloo took a deep breath and let it out.

"Yes!" he said. "Man, I owe you big time! Trust me, you won't regret it, Cherry!"

Cherry was taken aback to the sudden acknowledgment of her name as he ran up the stairs. She smiled softly, sighed and went for the broom. It was strange, but she felt different. It was like the Bloo she saw now was different and somewhat sincere. Her heart started racing.

'What was this new feeling?' she thought. Frankie couldn't bear eavesdropping on their conversation.

"So, you couldn't ignore him, could you?" she asked.

Cherry perked up and looked at her.

"What?" she asked. "O-Oh...I only avoided him just so he could understand."

"Is that right? With a face like that I'd say there's something else going on."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Sounds like you were happy to hear him say your name correctly for once."

"R-Really? You noticed?"

"You like him, don't you?"

Cherry perked up even more revealing a bit of redness.

"I-I don't like him," she said with a different tone. "I was just surprised he said it right, that's all!"

Frankie grinned.

"It's just a coincidence, okay? I don't want to get any wrong ideas."

"Alright then. You'd both make a cute couple anyway!"

"F-Frankie!"

"Haha...I'm kidding!"

By the afternoon, Mac came and went, and everyone waved and went on with their business. Cherry went off into the dining hall. Wilt and the others were on their way as well, but Bloo seemed to be fixed on a certain new friend.

"You okay?" Wilt asked. "I mean, you're usually over-excited after Mac leaves."

"Coco coco coco? (It's about Cherry, isn't it?)" Coco asks grinning.

Bloo perked up and laughed.

"No, what are you talking about?" he asked, turning to them. "I'm not thinking about her! I'm just...happy that we've made amends!"

The three stared at him with a blank face.

"Friends, huh?" Ed grinned.

The blue friend realized what he said and sighed.

"Fine," he said. "I misunderstood her. I was so focused on the negatives I couldn't shake it. I said I was sorry earlier, and we're cool now! Though…I should have listened to you guys..."

"It's no big deal, Bloo," Wilt said. "I'm sorry, but we expected this since you have a knack for jumping to conclusions."

"Really? How often have I done this?"

"A lot." The others said collectively.

Despite feeling embarrassed, the four soon walked into the dining hall.


	8. Chapter 8

Everyone was seated and already eating. Bloo was gladly enjoying his pizza until he nearly choked on it. He never noticed Cherry was sitting right across from him, eating while glancing at a store catalog. She eventually looked at him and appeared surprised.

"Oh, hello," she smiled.

"Oh, hey," he answered, scratching his head. "I guess sitting here was nothing but a coincidence."

"Yeah, definitely."

The blue friend noticed her looking at the catalog.

"So, what are you reading?"

"Oh, it's a monthly catalog from the PlayFair store. I've been thinking about whether to get the new Galaxy Wars game."

Bloo's eyes lit up.

"You've played Galaxy Wars, too?! That's like one of the best strategy games of all time!"

"More like the greatest! So you've been keeping up with the series?"

"Of course! I loved Galaxy Wars: Galexon's Wrath. You really had to rely on your ship's new targeting system to get through a lot of the levels."

"It was so difficult facing Galexon though! If you didn't use the right attack patterns, you'd be space toast!"

"I know! Who's your favorite pilot?"

"Admiral Titus, obviously!"

"With the R-600 Cruiser?"

"The best! Because with his tactics..."

"It makes him practically unstoppable!"

They laughed immediately after they realized they responded at the same time.

"I didn't think you'd be a gamer!" Bloo said.

"Hey, even a girl like me wouldn't mind a game every now and then."

"I'll definitely have to see how good you are. Care for a co-op mission soon?"

"Sure!"

The pink friend had just finished her lunch and began to clean up.

"I guess I'll see you in the arcade...say, tomorrow at noon?"

"I'm there!"

"Alright. See you, Bloo."

The blue friend perked up to hearing her say his name directly for the first time as she walked away. The thought of finding something they had in common made him smile...and for some reason his heart felt as if it was beating out of his chest. He wasn't sure if it was excitement or anxiety. He didn't want to question it, so instead he found himself plunging his face onto his slice of pizza.

"Are you going to be okay?" Wilt said next to him. Bloo looked up.

"What makes you say that?" he asked.

"I don't think that's how you eat that."

Bloo pulled it off and took a bite.

"I can't believe Cherry's a fan of Galaxy Wars! I didn't think she'd be the gaming type, but she has awesome tastes! I can't wait to see her again at noon!"

"Coco, coco coco? (So, it's a date?)"

The blue friend perked up to what Coco said and nearly choked.

"W-What? No, of course it's not a date! I'm just hanging out with her, that's all!"

The others looked at each other and back at Bloo.

"Si. That's totally a date," The bull friend chuckled after finishing half of his hero sub.

"Very funny, guys..."

The following day, Cherry was lounging in a chair with a book in the library awaiting the time to meet Bloo at noon. Frankie was headed elsewhere, but walked in after noticing her from the hallway.

"Hey, Cherry," she said.

"Oh, hey Frankie," the pink friend answered. "What's up?"

"Just checking up on you, is all. You seem pretty calm today."

"It turns out that Bloo and I have something in common. We both love video games." "Oh, well it's good that you two are getting better acquainted."

"I can't tell if it's excitement, but I'm happy that we're planning to meet up at the arcade in a bit."

Frankie paused for a moment.

"You can't tell if you're excited?" she asked. "You're both friends now, so shouldn't you be?"

"Well, yes I am, but I'm feeling something else…Anxiety maybe?"

"Why would you be nervous?"

"Well...Aside from my creator, I've never had a real friend before."

Frankie was surprised.

"Really…? I didn't realize…"

"Do you think it's normal to be worried about maintaining a friendship?"

"I'm guessing you and Berry don't count, huh?"

"Hardly…"

"Well, if you put it that way I guess it makes sense."

She soon sat on the couch across from Cherry.

"Ever thought about asking for his opinion? I mean, I doubt he knows anything else about you other than being a relative to Berry and liking Galaxy Wars."

"Yes, but I know I shouldn't worry. It's almost noon, so I better get going."

The friend returned her book on the shelf and headed towards the exit, but she had stopped abruptly and turned to Frankie.

"...How did you know we liked playing Galaxy Wars?"

Frankie realized what she had previously said, trying her best to act innocent.

"...Lucky guess?"

The time had finally come around for the two friends to meet up at the arcade. When Cherry arrived, Bloo was already there setting up the game for a co-op match.

“Hey, you made it!” Bloo noticed her walk in.

“Hey! Is this Galaxy Wars 2?”  
“You know it!”

They both grabbed a controller and hopped into a pair of bean bag chairs before the level began. Prior to the level starting the screen listed the enemy’s battle tactics, and allowed the players to select their pilots and ships ideal for the mission.

“Do you want to be the offense for this level?” Cherry asked.  
“Yeah. Admiral Titus with the R-600 can wipe out the front lines the quickest.”  
“That’s true, but it’ll be hard for him to target the stealth mods. Commander Mantis with the 320 Avian can cover you.”  
“Good. That can cover the wing turrets, too. Let’s do this!”

They sped through the first level like it was nothing. As they advance through several levels they took turns playing offense and defense, switching characters and spacecrafts that pertained to what they were up against.

“I hate going against Galexon’s pulsar drones,” Cherry comments. “They always explode when you get too close, and it takes a huge toll on your shields.”  
“Their defenses are pretty high against photon shots. I recommend using Aster with the F80 Stellar. The drones are weak to its solar blasts.”  
“Got it.”

An imaginary friend happened to walk by the arcade and stopped to notice Bloo and Cherry getting real deep in their game. The two had reached level 35 and had yet to lose a life; this had caused the friend’s eyes to light up.

“Hey, guys!” it said to a couple other friends walking by. “I think they’re about to hit a new record!”

The other friends looked in and their eyes did the same.

“No way,” one said. “You think they’re gonna get to 50?”  
“It’s never been possible before! Let’s find out!”

Level 49. It has been a couple hours since the game began and a crowd of spectators began to form after word had gotten around. Three o’clock was the time Mac had arrived and he managed to squeeze in to find Wilt, Eduardo and Coco standing left of the players.

“I never thought the arcade would get so crowded!” Mac said. “What’s going on?”  
“Bloo and Cherry are so close to reaching level 50!” Eduardo said.  
“They lost a couple lives so far, but they’ve done so well backing each other up!” Wilt said.  
“Coco coco coco (They just might beat the high score)!” Coco answered.  
“Beat the high score? No way!”  
“How are your shields?” Cherry asked.  
“They’re at 40%,” Bloo replied. “These shielded turrets really mean business!”  
“Pull back for a bit to recover. My stealth drone power-up will keep them occupied!”

With still one life remaining, they had finally reached level 50. The crowd rooted them on after completing the previous level and remained quiet so the two friends could focus. The final level was a boss named Pylex; Galexon’s predecessor. Bloo and Cherry took a quick breather while trying to determine the ideal strategy for their final battle.

“The enemy’s layout doesn’t have a specific attack pattern,” Bloo said. “That figures, since it’s the last level.”  
“So the pattern is random,” Cherry said. “It’s likely that their pattern will shift halfway in like it did the past 15 levels…”  
“At least it tells us what we’re up against. This level has so many aphelion ships!”  
“That means there will be a lot of them with stealth armor and photon neutralizers. It’s keeping us from wanting to use the R-600.”  
“It’s the best offense ship out there…”

Bloo thought for a second.

“Unless…”  
“You have a plan?” the pink friend asked.  
“We have to bring them down from the source.” “Attacking head on is suicide…”

A thought soon clicked in her head.

“Wait...Pylex’s ship from single mode has a weak spot near the back. If we could hit it with a photon missile…”  
“Then Pylex’s ship will get destroyed from the inside...including all of the enemy ships!” Bloo followed. “Sounds like the R-600 ends up being the best option as long as we use its stealth mode.”  
“Yeah...it does.”  
“...Ready to play offense?”

Cherry perked up.

“Huh? Why?” she asked.  
“Think of this as the ‘extra stage’. Show me what you’re really made of!”

What the friend told her was surprising, but it made her more eager to put her strategies to the limit.


	9. Chapter 9

Final level. Bloo covered Cherry’s ship as she pilots quietly through the enemy ships in stealth, carefully avoiding being picked up by their radar. Stealth mode was of limited supply, so it lasted enough for her to get past at most half of the fleet. The ships didn't take long to act on it, so she had to move fast. With a good eye she manages to avoid a bunch of their attacks while Bloo continued to catch them off guard. The route towards reaching Pylex’s weak point was left wide open...and Cherry felt uneasy.

“Something's not right,” she said. “Getting to this point was too easy. The aphelion ships aren't following...”

An unknown craft had appeared on Bloo’s radar.

“There's something on your right!!” he announced. “And it's moving fast!”  
“Where? I can't get a reading!”  
“Pull up!”

In the nick of time the unknown crisis was averted. Whatever zoomed by had eventually impacted a nearby aphelion ship, destroying it instantly.

“...Was that a stealth bomber?” she asked. “I'm surprised I couldn't pick up on it!”  
“Your stealth mode might have made you vulnerable from seeing hidden targets! There's more coming your way!”  
“I’ll be a sitting duck if they hit me when I’m so close to the target!”  
“Fall back for a bit. I’m moving in!”

Avoiding the attacks launched by the aphelion ships, Bloo quickly moves closer to Cherry’s ship to cover her right side. He could see the number of stealth bombers flying in at high speed.

“But your shields won’t hold up to stealth bombers for long!” Cherry cried.  
“That’s fine! Just hit the weak point! You only have one shot, so make it count!”  
“...Got it!”

Moving together as one, Bloo uses his shield as several stealth bombers begin to collide on his right the closer he and Cherry got to her destination.

“There's a bomber headed in your line of fire!” he said. “Hurry!”

Time was limited, so she quickly targeted the weak point and launched her only photon missile. Once fired, she signaled herself and Bloo’s ship to pull up before he was completely annihilated. Nothing but smoke formed around the target’s weak point as the missile seemed to have collided with the stealth bomber. If the hit was a success, the level would be completed. If not...it'd be all over.

For the time being the suspense was killing everyone as they waited for the results...until a separate window appeared on screen.

“Level 50 Completed!”

For a short time no one couldn't believe their eyes, but soon a wave of excitement washed right over them. Everyone in the room cheered for the two gamers. Cherry was so happy about finishing the co-op levels she didn't realize she had hugged Bloo.

"I can't believe we did it!" she exclaimed. "This has to be the greatest achievement we've ever done in gaming history!"

Bloo was just as happy as she was, but he remained stunned. The pink friend eventually noticed Bloo's reaction and pulled away in embarrassment.

"Oh, um...I'm sorry," she said, laughing it off. "I didn't mean to hug you."

"O-Oh, no it's cool," Bloo finally spoke. "I was just surprised, is all!"

"Congratulations, you two!" Mac says, walking over to them while Wilt and the others follow. "I don't think I've ever seen anyone complete co-op mode!"

"Yeah!" Wilt says. "You both have some great skills! If there's ever a GW championship, you'd be an unstoppable team!"

"Aw, thanks, guys." Cherry said.

"I'd totally be down for a future championship!" Bloo said. "We'd definitely be ready!"

Long after Mac had gone home, Bloo and Cherry kept talking nonstop about their co-op match and providing new strategies for what to expect once the new game comes out. Soon it was close to bedtime, and they were walking through a hallway towards Cherry's room.

"So you really think that Pylex is going to return in the fourth game?" Bloo asked.

"Absolutely!" Cherry answers. "Pylex, or rather his ship, only had a cameo appearance in the third game. Something tells me that he and Galexon might join forces!"

"I bet that means there will be a whole new load of tactics that we'll have to learn!"

"You know it!"

They laughed till the halls were quiet. Silence is golden, but for the blue friend it felt a bit awkward. He wondered if the hug he didn't expect from her was beginning to grow on him, but for a short while he couldn't look back at her as they walked. Eventually they made it to her door.

"Well, this is me," she said, turning to him. "What are you planning to do tomorrow?"

The blue friend had perked up to the question and mustered up the courage to look at her.

"O-Oh, well I don't really have anything planned other than hanging out with Mac all day."

"Ah, I see." she chuckled. "I guess we've been talking nonstop today, huh?"

"Haha, yeah."

"Well, it doesn't hurt to take a break. I just realized I haven't been able to help Frankie since lunch, so it'd be best for me to hang out with her tomorrow."

He stopped her as she was opening her door.

"But, we will hang out again soon...right?" he asked.

"I'm not sure...It seems pretty unlikely."

"What? But…!"

The pink friend laughed and turned to him.

"I'm kidding. I'd love to hang out again soon." She smiled as she backed into her room. "Goodnight, Bloo."

"Goodnight."

The door had shut. It was strange. The blue friend's heart wouldn't stop pounding at the sight of her smile this time. He was aware that the hug was accidental, but how would he react if he sees her again? The more he thinks about it, the more his heart keeps pounding.

'...What's wrong with me?' He thought as he walked down the hall.


	10. Chapter 10

Monday morning came around. Like Cherry had said, she had spent her time helping out Frankie in the kitchen. Despite her small stature, Frankie was surprised how the pink friend had found ways to be expedient in the kitchen. From making pancakes to cleaning up, she had outdone herself.

"Wow, you seem to be in a good mood," she said. "What's the occasion?"

"There is no occasion," Cherry replied, flipping a stack of pancakes onto a plate. "I just haven't been able to help you much yesterday, so I hope you don't mind me lending a hand."

"Well, I guess I don't, but I thought I'd only ask you for help when I needed it?"

"Relax, Frankie, I insist on helping out! It's my hobby, remember?"

"Yes, yes, of course!"

The teen soon remembered something.

"So, how was your hang out with Bloo yesterday? You seemed to have really hit it off since your meetup in the arcade."

"Oh, it was wonderful! I never thought we'd talk all through the evening! He said we'll be able to hang out again soon, so that's a good sign."

"That's great! And I'm sure nothing changed when you hugged him?"

The question suddenly caused Cherry's next finished pancake to fly into the wall behind her.

"W-What? You were in the arcade too?" she asked.

"Of course! I wasn't planning on missing a little get together like that. I think it's adorable!"

"Come on, Frankie," Cherry begins pouring batter into the pan. "What I did was just a reflex and nothing more."

"Is that really what you think? You seem peppier every time you hear him say your name right."

"Well...it has grown on me. I haven't really given it much thought to what he's really thinking."

"How has he acted around you since the arcade?"

"Normal...at least I thought he was." She flipped the pancake. "I'm not sure how I feel about him other than a friend."

Frankie stood by her and perked up to the shape of her pancake.

"...I think your pancake speaks for itself."

Cherry jumped to the realization that the pancake had a familiar oblong shape...It looked like Bloo. Her reaction had her flipping it against the wall behind her again.

"Whoa...I didn't expect that reaction…!"

"I-I...didn't expect it either."

"Cherry? Are you okay?"

Frankie noticed her staring at the frying pan, hunched over with her hands grasping her chest. Her face was red as clear as day.

"I don't know…" the pink friend said quietly. "My heart...It won't stop racing."

"I'm sorry...It was my fault for pressuring you."

"No...It's okay. This was bound to happen, but I wasn't expecting it so soon. But Berry's the one who likes him...Would it be right for me to like him, too?"

"Why let your sister have her way? You have the right to admit your feelings whether she likes it or not!"

"That's true…" she looks at her and smiles lightly. "You really think I have a chance?"

Frankie smiled.

"When it comes to admission, I'm positive you have a free ticket."

After finishing up in the kitchen, Cherry was carrying a short stack of her own pancakes towards the table. She glanced by Bloo, noticing that his face was planted onto his short stack. She could see he was breathing, which gave her the opportunity to take a deep breath and sit across from him without making things awkward.

"Good morning, Bloo," she says, smiling. "You must have had a late night."

The sound of her voice jerked him awake.

"O-Oh…! Good morning!" he answered with a muffled tone. "Yeah...I didn't go to bed as soon as you did."

"I think the pancake on your face said it first."

He realized shortly after and pulled it from his face, looking away in embarrassment.

"Oh...How did that get there?"

Cherry chuckled.

"Relax, it either means you love pancakes, or the pancakes love you. I'm surprised they're a hit this morning."

"Wait...you made these?"

"Yep!"

He immediately cuts out a piece with his fork and pops it in his mouth. Instantly his body slouched as the flavors of butter and sweet buttermilk danced around on his taste buds. He didn't realize it, but a light blush appeared on his face as he chewed and swallowed.

"Oh man," he said. "This tastes amazing! Not to mention energizing!"

The pink friend smiled, revealing a light blush as well.

"I'm glad," she said. "You can't hang out with Mac while you're half asleep, right?"

"You said it. I'll make sure these won't go to waste!"

She knew deep down that her feelings have changed around him, but it felt too sudden to address. At this moment, she was already content with just watching him eat her cooking. The butterflies in her stomach continue to flutter, but despite being unaware of how he felt, she paid no mind to it and began eating.

Being in the area, Wilt and the others kept watching them eat peacefully. They grinned while exchanging a few looks amongst themselves, since they believed something between the two friends have sprouted into something more.

Once they had finished eating, Bloo was about to get up and take his plate until Cherry stopped him.

"It's all right," she said. "I'll clear."

"Oh...are you sure?"

"It's my hobby to clean, so it's fine."

"But...I wouldn't mind..helping you clean."

Her heart nearly skipped a beat when she heard him say that. It surprised the other three as well. She was worried he could see her blushing at his flattery, so she turned her head away from him.

"T-That's..so nice of you," She managed to look back at him holding her signature smile. "But really, it's fine. Leave everything to me."

"Next time...maybe?"

"Sure...next time."

After compromising, Cherry went on with clearing their plates and entered the kitchen. The blue friend couldn't help but watch her leave, while his mood switched over to the sound of his friends chuckling beside him.

"What are you all laughing at?" he asked.

"Just watching a little love bloom," Eduardo replied.

"W-What? What are you talking about?"

"Coco coco coco. (We can tell that you like her)." Coco said.

Bloo perked up to the thought.

"What!? Like her?" he asked. "That's just silly! I was only being friendly!"

"The way you offered to help her is more than just being friendly," Wilt said. "I'm sorry, but I don't think I've ever seen you offer to clean anything before."

"Si. It makes me think she was the reason you couldn't sleep last night, too." Eduardo followed.

"Coco. (That's right)."

"What do you mean that's right? I thought you all were sleeping!"

The blue friend planted his face onto the table and sighed.

"You guys really think I like her?" he asked.

"Coco coco, coco coco coco. (After that performance, there's no doubt about it.)"

"Si, Coco, there's no doubt about it."

"You should really look into a mirror right now," Wilt said. "Because if that wasn't red paint on your face earlier, then I don't know what is."

Bloo looked up at them.

"But what should I do? It's getting harder to talk to her lately!"

"What do you mean? You've handled that last conversation pretty well."

"Yeah, but…"

"If you ask me, I'm sure she feels the same. Why don't you ask her directly how she feels?"

"Or are you afraid of what she might say?" The bull friend asked.

"Well…"

"Coco coco coco? (What do you have to lose?)"

"If there's anything I have to lose, Coco, it's probably my dignity…"


	11. Chapter 11

Like what Cherry had said last night, she had spent the day catching up and helping Frankie, whereas Bloo hung out with Mac, Wilt and the others. Every once in a while the blue friend would come across her, occasionally losing focus of what he was doing. One instance as he passed through from atop the stairs leading to the main entrance, he spotted her washing the foyer skating around on a pair of brushes latched to her feet. He was amazed by how she easily twirled around, performing salchows and figure eights while she did it. What she had told him before regarding making cleaning fun made a lot of sense. She may be small, but her methods were innovative. That alone had piqued the blue friend's interest even though he hardly offers the assistance. His friends noticed him watching her little performance, and couldn't help but sit on the stairs to spectate as well. The more he watched her, the more his friends noticed his face redden as he smiled. When she finished, she perked up to them applauding and eventually made eye contact with Bloo. She blushed with her warm smile and bowed to thank them for watching.

Mac didn't really know about how his best friend currently acted around Cherry, but it was easy for him to figure out without hearing it from the others first. During the time they moved to playing outside, he went ahead and broke the ice.

"So," Mac began. "When did your greatest interest in her start?"

Bloo perked up while holding onto his paddle ball toy. He kept twirling the ball back and forth around the paddle as he paced back and forth.

"I want to say...after the co-op match," he answered. "It's like the more I see her, the more I can't seem to look her in the eyes anymore! These changes are making me crazy, Mac!"

"So? Why don't you just tell her?"

Bloo held onto Mac by his shoulders.

"I can't! It never works! My words will just get mixed around if I try! Mac, you need to tell her for me!"

"Are you kidding? That's just weak coming from you. You need to have the confidence to do that yourself."

"But…!"

"No buts. I recommend telling her when you get the chance to."

"I agree," Wilt replied. "Once you do that, it'll be easy to build up confidence and retain the relationship."

Ed and Coco nodded while Bloo just looked down and sighed.

"I understand," he said. "But when should I tell her?"

Mac was looking off in the distance.

"Either when you're ready, or now," he said. "She's coming this way."

"What!?"

Everyone heard the front door shut and the pink friend walk out towards them. She was carrying Mac's backpack.

"Hi, guys," she greeted, smiling softly. "You left your backpack in the arcade, Mac."

He gladly took the backpack and thanked her. Bloo kept staring at her before she turned to him. They both slightly blushed and looked away at the same time. Mac moved over to Bloo to tell him to straighten up and get her attention, but he almost remained frozen until Cherry decided to speak first.

"Um…May I speak with Bloo for a minute?" she asked the others.

The others nodded and walked away. Despite being alone with her now, he strangely managed to straighten up. Cherry took a deep breath before she spoke.

"Bloo, when you get the time, do you mind meeting me in the hallway near the library?"

"What? What for?"

"I just want to talk to you." She began twiddling her hands. "I-If you don't mind, could you stop by in the evening?"

"Oh, well...a-alright then."

She smiled softly.

"Thank you. I'll see you then."

After she left, Bloo had no idea what was going on. What could she be thinking?

"Any idea what just happened?" Mac asked, walking back to him.

"By the look of his face, I think he doesn't have the guts to tell us…" Wilt followed.

Late at night, Cherry was asked by Frankie if she could return a stack of books back to the library. It was close to the time that the books were going to be overdue if not returned before nine, so she was in a hurry to finish the job. She didn't expect Bloo was coming from the opposite end. He was running because he nearly forgot about meeting Cherry by the library.

'Oh man,' he thought. 'I can't believe I almost forgot about this! I should've known the dessert-eating contest was a bad idea!'

There was a sudden collision and books flew everywhere. Bloo took a second to rub his head and yelled without even knowing who bumped into him.

"Hey, watch where you're go-...!"

When his vision became clear he was shocked to notice Cherry before him, rubbing her head as well. She was also shocked when she spotted him. She quickly stood up in embarrassment.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" she responded and started picking up the books. "I-I didn't mean to run in the hall…It was my fault…"

Bloo helped out right away.

"N-No! It was my fault. I never should've ran either!"

Both of them paused when their hands met while reaching for the same book. They blushed when they looked up at each other, but Cherry immediately grabbed the book after Bloo retracted his hand and turned his head away. He scratched the back of his head feeling nervous.

"S-Sorry," he stuttered.

Cherry was still blushing, but she smiled softly while she put the last book atop the stack.

"It's..no problem…" she said.

"Do you mind if I help you out with those? You did say I could help next time..."

She was happy that he remembered.

"Yes, of course."


	12. Chapter 12

After a pit stop at the library, Bloo had asked if he could walk her to her room before heading to his. When they reached her door, she opened it and turned back to him.

"Thanks for your help," she said. "I thought I would never finish the job."

Bloo scratched his head again while looking off in another direction.

"It was nothing," he said. "I mean, it's no big deal. I'm sure you had a pretty busy day."

The pink friend chuckled.

"It's never a busy day whenever I clean. Did you play Galaxy Wars at all today?"

"Yeah...but it's never the same without-..."

Realizing what he began to say, he immediately retracted his sentence.

"F-Forget I said that…"

She knew who he was referring to and smiled warmly. Soon he started going on a tangent, and she used this time to think. She had already missed out on telling him from the library's hallway, and now she couldn't figure out what to say. Her mind kept going back and forth on what Frankie had said to her, but how should she react?

"By the way," he remembered. "Did you...have something to tell me?"

"O-Oh…"

She was surprised that he had remembered, yet she still wasn't ready to say it. Her chest felt like it was beating a thousand times per minute.

"Actually," she started. "I've forgotten what I wanted to tell you...I'm sorry I had you come all this way."

"Oh, it's no big deal...! I'm sure you'll remember it sooner or later. I-I guess I'll see you tomorrow then?"

"Yeah, o-of course…"

When he was starting to backup and head the other way, Cherry kept looking down in another direction. Was it too late for her to stop him? If she doesn't stop him now, she would miss her chance! It was time for her to go for it! Who cares that the knot currently in her throat was keeping her from speaking. She did her best to clear it and finally blurt something out.

"B-Bloo?"

Bloo turned around.

"Yeah?" he asked.

She grabbed him, quickly pulled him in between the door and lightly pressed her lips against his. Bloo had no idea what was happening or why it happened so quickly, but he went along with it until she eventually pulled away. Both of them looked at each other for quite a while with very red faces. Bloo stood there speechless, and Cherry perked up and stared at the floor in embarrassment.

"S-Sorry," she said. "It's just that...I couldn't use words to describe how I was feeling…"

The blue friend was still dazed by how this night turned out to be.

"R-Really?"

The pink friend nodded. She eventually looks at him and slowly backs up into her room.

"Um, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then?"

"Y-Yeah…Good night."

Cherry smiled softly and closed the door behind her. She then pressed her back against the door and looked up at the ceiling. She couldn't believe she kissed him. She was really supposed to tell him her feelings. So, how did this happen? She didn't care. She was actually glad that it occurred. She couldn't believe it, but it was official: she loved him! But it was weird. She had her sister to think about. Berry found him first, but is it okay to love him too? Berry loved him, but he didn't…right? Cherry wondered about the abundant possibilities, but they were dropped, for now anyway. With the blush still visible, she sighed and smiled. On the other side, Bloo backed up to the hallway wall and slid down with a wide grin on his face.

The next morning, Bloo ran into the dining hall still showing his grin. Wilt and the others were already in there eating breakfast. They all stared at him oddly after he sat down across from them; he was chuckling to himself while he reached for the cereal box.

"Well, you seem to be in a pretty good mood," Ed asked.

Bloo just sighed.

"You better believe it." he replied while pouring his cereal in a bowl.

"So, how did it go? You got it off of your chest, right?"

Bloo reached for the milk and poured it.

"Well, it didn't go exactly as planned…"

"…Coco coco? (…Oh really?)" Coco asked.

"Yeah really. She wanted to talk to me about something, but..."

Bloo takes a bite of his cereal while the others took a moment to look at each other and then turn back to him.

"But..?" They collectively asked.

"Let's just say the chain of events was, well...unexpected! It's kind of embarrassing, so can't we talk about it later?"

He nonchalantly while taking a few more bites of his cereal. The others looked at each other again. However, after hearing what Bloo said, they had a feeling on what happened between them.

From the kitchen, the door opened. It was Cherry walking towards the table gathering empty dishes. With a glimpse she turned and spotted Bloo and the others. When the two's eyes met, Bloo's grin and light blush appeared as he waved. Cherry did the same, turned to gather more dishes and returned back to the kitchen. Wilt, Ed and Coco turned to Bloo, grinning.

"...Why are you three grinning like that?" he asked suspiciously.

"You don't seem to be shy of Cherry anymore," Wilt answered. "I'll consider that an accomplishment!"

"What?!"

"Honestly, Bloo, when it comes to things like this, you're not great at hiding it."

"Alright fine...You get the gist, so let's leave it at that."

"So, what will happen now? She's not going to have your full attention now, is she?"

"Of course she'll have my attention, but it won't change the time we spend hanging out everyday! She's not that type of imaginary friend to demand it, and that is one of the things I admire!"

Wilt smiled.

"Well, you do have a point," he said. "No matter what happens, I'm happy for you!"

"Si!"

"Coco! (Me too!)"

Bloo couldn't help but blush a little.

"Thanks, guys! By the way, the new Galaxy Wars game comes out today! Want to trek with Mac and I to get it?"

"Sounds fun! I'm in!"

"Si! Let's go!"

"Coco coco coco? (Is Cherry coming too?)"

"No, she's not joining us. She told me this morning she'd be busy, but I never mentioned what we were doing. I hope to surprise her. What do you guys think?"

"I'd say wrap it up and put a bow on it," Wilt answered. "Figuratively, of course. The plan sounds solid."

Finished with their breakfast, they got up and began to exit the dining hall in single file. Along the way the blue friend had accidentally bumped a short bipedal cat friend walking by.

"Oh, sorry!" he said.

"Nyat's okay!" she smiled.

The cat friend watched as Bloo and the others made their way out of the dining hall.


	13. Chapter 13

Today was a Staff Development day, so Mac was lucky to have a day off from school. He came by the home around nine to pick up Bloo and the others. For the time being Cherry had made her usual cleaning routes with Frankie. At one point they were both in the laundry room washing and folding towels.

"So," Frankie began. "I see things have now been going well with Bloo?"

The question caused the pink friend to turn to her, blushing.

"Well, everything didn't go as planned," she started. "But I can say that the tension between us regarding our feelings has been relieved. I couldn't be happier!"

"Congratulations! The fact that you were finally able to prove him wrong about your identity was amazing. I admire that you have a sense of reason. As for your sister on the other hand…"

"I know that my sister wants to be controlling over me, but I don't think I'll have to worry about that anymore."

"Agreed. You are your own person, so it makes little sense for you to not stand up against her."

"Miss Frances!"

The voice of a busy rabbit appeared into the doorway. He noticed Cherry assisting and kindly greeted her. She gladly greeted back.

"There is a package that had just arrived. Would you be so kind in signing for it and leave it by the front door?"

"Oh, sure," She then looks at Cherry and smiles. "Will you be all right by yourself?"

"Yes, of course!" Cherry replied. "This isn't my first rodeo."

"Alright. I'll be right back."

The pink friend went back to folding towels after Frankie left with Mr. Herriman. After she had completed a load, she waltzed over to another basket of unfolded towels until she was stopped by an unusual sound clunking in one of the dryers on the ground. Once she went over to open the door, the bipedal cat friend came rolling out. It was a surprise, but Cherry looked no further to help her up. Her appearance was that of a Calico breed with large eyes, purple overall dress and a pink headband.

"Oh my! Are you okay?" she asked.

"Nyeah...I'm all right." the cat responded, rubbing her eyes.

"What were you doing in there?"

"I'm sorry. All the sunbeams in the house were taken, so I thought I could get some heat in the dryer!"

"Next time, I wouldn't recommend that…By the way, I don't think I've met you before. Are you new to Foster's?"

"Why, nyes! Oh, where are my manners?"

She began dusting off any lint that came from the dryer.

"My nyame is Nyancy! I actually came here a couple days ago."

"It's a pleasure, Nyancy! I'm Cherry."

"Cherry? Nyou look so similar to that imaginary friend I saw on the nyews! What's her nyame...Berry?" Her eyes lit up. "Are nyou related to her?"

"Yeah, she's my fraternal twin."

"Nyo kidding! Well, I'm sure she's doing well since that incident, right?"

"I sure hope so. I haven't seen her since then...I wonder what she's been up to. Wherever she is, I hope she knows that I'm still thinking of her."

"I see..."

Frankie soon reappeared through the entrance of the laundry room.

"I'm back," she answered. She noticed an additional friend in the room and smiled. "Oh, hello Nyancy. What timing! There's a package for you downstairs."

"A package for me? I wonder if it's the nyew knyitting template I ordered!"

"Template?" Cherry asked. "You can knit?"

"Yup! Perhaps I'll show nyou my patterns sometime!"

"Okay! I'll be looking forward to it!"

The kitty friend wanders out of the room. She was quite an interesting character to meet, but it is good that Cherry might have found another potential friend to hang out with. She had never looked into knitting as a hobby, so perhaps she might learn a thing or two along the way.

Occasionally, the pink friend wonders of the whereabouts of her other friends as she makes her cleaning rounds. Since the last encounter with Bloo, she felt even more lively than before now that the physical confession had gotten off her chest. Of course, she was still nervous about meeting him again, but at least the hard part was over. Before noon she planned to take a break in the library. While walking down one of the halls she stopped at the sight of a ball of yarn that rolled out an open bedroom. She couldn't help but peer inside, but it was a familiar face.

"Oh, hello Nyancy," she greeted, attempting to roll up the yarn that was at her feet. "Oh my, that's quite a lot of yarn you've got there."

"Ah, Cherry!" the kitten answered after observing the room. "Pardon the mess! I was trying to get inspired, but I guess I made a mess instead."

"Really? What are you trying to work on?"

"I'm nyot sure…" She scratches her chin. "Well, nyow that you mention it, there is a friend that I'd like to introduce myself to. I'm a bit shy, nyou see, but there are times where others don't seem to nyotice me. I, well, tend to get bumped into a lot…"

"Oh my…"

"I feel like I want to put myself out there and make myself heard, nyou know? But, I'm nyot sure how to do it…"

"Well," Cherry thinks. "Do you know what that friend's interests are?"

"I see him play a lot of games, so I guess I could start from there. But what do nyou think? Any ideas?"

"Well, the simplest way is to be yourself. Try to compromise with tying your interests with his. I'm sure you'll come up with something."

"But how?"

"Knitting is one thing, but what else are you good at?"

"Sometimes I dabble a bit in the kitchen late at nyght."

The pink friend was surprised.

"Get out," she started. "You bake?"

"I am quite the sweet tooth...It gets my brain the fuel it nyeeds to power through my projects!"

"This is perfect! I bet you could wow him with your cooking!"

"Nyou really think it will work?" Nyancy asked.

"Give it a try! I'm sure it'll be a hook, line and sinker for nyou! It was quite a hit when I made those pancakes the other day…"

"A hit, nyou say?" the kitty grinned. "Whose heart were nyou trying to win, hmm?"

The other friend perked up at her question.

"Oh, n-no one!" she says, revealing a light blush. "I was just in charge of breakfast that morning is all."

"Surely nyou can't hide something that's all over nyour face, especially from me."

"Well I can't say we're a 'thing' yet. I choose to give him the space he deserves. I'd hate to be the clingy one, you know?"

"Right. Maybe I'll try that...!"

"Care to join me?"

"Huh? Right nyow?"

"I have to get lunch ready, so why don't we work on it together?"

"Nyou mean it?"

"Absolutely!

After wrapping up her knitting, Cherry exited the library with her new friend following behind.


	14. Chapter 14

It was close to lunch time. Other imaginary friends were beginning to gather into the dining room. Upon entering the kitchen, Cherry and Nyancy were met by Frankie, who had many bags of bread, cheese, assorted cold cuts and tomatoes scattered about the counters.

"Hey Cherry!" Frankie spoke. "Guess what the unanimous vote for lunch was?"

"Grilled cheese? I was just thinking that! Not to mention fresh tomato soup to go with it!" Cherry smiled. "By the way, I brought Nyancy here to help us. She said she's good in the kitchen as well."

"Is that so? It's the first I'm hearing of it. You sure she's up to the challenge?"

"She told me she's a wiz at baking! I figured she could start with something easy."

"Easy, huh?" Frankie looked at the cat friend.

"Ah, nyes!" She didn't even stammer. "I knyow just the recipe that will be purrfect!"

"Great! Then let's split up the work. You got the soup, Cherry?"

"Easy!" She answered. "The other imaginary friends will be asking for seconds and thirds!"

Roughly twenty minutes in, the three were independently working without a hassle. Frankie and Cherry were sharing the stove, and could easily smell each other's cooking as they'd dreamt it. Nyancy was surprisingly enamored by it as well, nearly purring to herself trying to hold back the temptation to sneak a taste. Shaking her head, she tried making conversation to take her mind off it.

"Nyou certainly knyow how to make food seem irresistible!" She couldn't help but comment.

"I'm sure the whole house can smell it now," Cherry answered, bringing over a spoonful. "But would you mind letting me know what you think?"

The cat hesitated slightly, but gave in to the temptation. Cherry smiled at her final expression as Nyancy's eyes nearly widened, tastebuds savoring every taste it could gather. It started off mildly sweet, and moved into the tanginess of the tomatoes. It brought back an old memory...something of which she thought was locked away forever. It gave her a saddened expression at first, but she smiled once more to hide the feeling.

"Wow!" She jumped. "It's like it could be at a restaurant!"

"Well I don't know about that," Cherry said, trying not to be coy. "But I try to improve my cooking skills daily. I really am glad you like it though."

"Well take everything nyou can get!" Nyancy was still organizing her ingredients. "So tell me, nyou we're embarrassed about who nyou're crushing on before. Nyou gotta spill the deets!"

The pink friend nearly fumbled her spoon.

"W-What?" She stuttered. "I-I don't know what you mean…"

"Come on...I knyow nyou definitely have someone on nyour mind! Tell me, what's he like?"

"W-Well…" She still felt embarrassed talking about it, but the moment an image of Bloo appeared within her head she oddly felt relaxed, revealing a warm smile. "He can be very naive, egotistical and self-centered. For the longest time, he was determined to prove that I was someone he used to know."

"Oh? Who is the chosen one, if nyou don't mind me asking?"

"Well...his name is Bloo."

The cat friend instantly froze from the name.

"I don't know why, but I never expected to have anything in common with him. I had believed that I was never going to be on the same page...because a lot of people expected me to be just like her."

"Who?"

"Berry, my sister."

Nyancy felt like the name had pinched a nerve. While she quickly turned away to check on the soup, Nyancy couldn't help but let anger bubble to the surface.

"Others first expected me to share her interests and personality," Cherry continued. "And I can't blame them for that, because I doubt anyone knew I existed. She was always in the spotlight, and I was always in her shadow. She always had her way, and I stayed back to watch. Deep down I was tired of being mixed up with her, but I didn't think there was ever a chance that a part of her still dwelled within me."

It was a good thing that Frankie wasn't watching the cat friend nearly exploding, otherwise it'd be possible she could suspect something. She was prepared to grab the wooden spoon she had laid out to chuck at her.

"Despite everything she has done, she does have a heart."

Hearing that halted the spoon from leaving her hand.

"Our younger years were the most memorable. She was always looking after me, even during the times my creator and I fell ill. She always wanted to jump in with what I did best when my health wasn't at a hundred percent, and I trusted her judgement. Even her baking was delicious, as it reminded me so much of home. Despite her differences, her love for me holds no bounds...and to be honest I do miss that."

Nyancy appeared speechless, only to put down the spoon.

"Was there anything nyou missed about her the most?" She asked.

"I missed cooking and eating together, like what we're doing now. I don't know why, but I can't help but feel that my sister is here with me."

Despite a smile appearing on her face, the cat friend needed to say something. She couldn't remain silent forever.

"I'm sorry that this moment brings memories," she answered. "Nyou don't think I could fill in those shoes?"

"There's no need for you to be like my sister," Cherry said, turning to her with a smile. "I like you just the way you are."

"Well, I can still help whenever nyou nyeed it!" She smiled, feeling relieved. "Just let me know!"

"Sorry if I slowed you down. I kept you from making your dessert…"

"Nyonsense! This really only takes ten minutes tops! It'll be done in nyo time!"

"Alright, if you say so. Well the soup is ready to go, so I can start plating." She soon calls over to Frankie, noticing the stacks of completed sandwiches already. "How are the sandwiches going?"

"Ready for service!" She replied. "I'm thrilled to try these out!"

"Awesome!" The pink friend turns to Nyancy. "We'll free up the stove for you so you can make your treats!"

"Thank nyou! I promise it'll be quick! By the way, where is Bloo and his friends?"

"He told me they'll be out past lunchtime, so they won't be back in time. Why'd you ask?"

"Just curious. Figured I'd surprise them too while I'm at it."

"A surprise?"

"Nyou'll see!"

Frankie and Cherry nearly scrambled to get everything plated while the cat friend focused on her dessert. The concept of the service was going to be a buffet style, setting up portions of prepared sandwiches and bowls of soup lined on tables opposing the entrance of the kitchen. Lunch had begun as other friends proceeded to fill the dining hall, lining up as they took what was available prior to seating. Once the friends were served, the chefs helped themselves with leftover portions in the kitchen. Cherry and Frankie were prepared to pour their own bowls of soup till Nyancy had already provided it for them. The kitchen had a few chairs around the island, so the three took their seats.

"Nyou've all did a great job!" She cheered. "I'm so glad our dishes were a hit!"

"No kidding!" Frankie said, gulping down mouthfuls of soup. "Many compliments to the chefs! Not going to lie, Cherry, but like the pancakes, I swear that your soup could be sold in bulk!"

"I really appreciate it, Frankie!" The pink friend answered, sipping some as well before turning to Nyancy. "That reminds me. We were so busy with getting everything out that I failed to notice the dessert you made. I'm dying to try it after this!"

"Oh, nyo worries. Nyou definitely will! I saved the best for the both of nyou!"

"That's great!" Frankie suddenly yawned. "Oh man...did I not get enough sleep last night?"

Cherry turned to her.

"You okay, Frankie?" She asked.

"Maybe…" she replied slowly. "Think the store run...tired me out more than I thought. I should...rest my eyes for a bit."

Pushing the bowl aside, she crossed her arms onto the island to rest her head.

"But Frankie, we need to…"

It felt like Cherry had hit a brick wall. How could she also be this tired too? She could hear Frankie snoozing away as she couldn't seem to keep her own eyes open.

"What...what's happening…?"

"Oh...nothing that a little sleeping aid couldn't fix," the cat friend said beside her. "Nyou certainly need it after all nyour hard work."

"Sleeping aid…? But I don't...understand…"

"Oh silly me! Nyou wanted to knyow what the dessert was!" She grabs a small plate on the nearby countertop. "Perhaps it'll all make sense after nyou've had a crispy rice square."

"Crispy...rice square…?"

It was all the energy she had to say until she was locked into a deep sleep. The cat friend stood by with a wide grin on her face.


	15. Chapter 15

Lunch was long over. Mac and his friends finally returned from PlayFair. Bloo was still grinning from "ear to ear" hugging the game that he - technically Mac - bought as a surprise for Cherry.

"She is gonna love this!" He jumped. "I can already imagine how this game will be once we unlock customization mode!"

"It'll be sooner once we can find her," Mac said. "Since lunch is over, she shouldn't be far from her usual duties."

"It's oddly quiet around here," Wilt mentioned. "I really don't like this atmosphere…"

The others took notice of there being no movement or chatter anywhere. No one could hear anyone moving up or down the stairs; no one was seen entering or exiting the dining hall; everything felt very quiet.

"I don't like this either," Eduardo says, nearly shaking. "It's too scary!"

"It's okay, Eduardo. I wonder where Frankie is?" Mac replied. "It's been hours since lunch. I know she has a tight schedule even with Cherry helping her."

"Coco coco...coco coco? (They didn't have a falling out...did they?)"

"A falling out? No way!" Bloo answered. "They're too close to even think of sabotaging each other! Something has to be wrong!"

Without another moment to think, they immediately checked the dining room. Much to their surprise, it was spic and span. No dishes left behind...Did Frankie and Cherry already clean up? No...it still doesn't seem right. Mac soon entered the kitchen doors only to catch a familiar face, still sleeping away.

"Frankie!" He called.

Even the kitchen was mostly spotless, but there were a couple of unfinished bowls on the island and a pot with its contents spilled on the counter and floor. Splatters of soup was everywhere...even an unexpected message painted on the wall:

No one can have him except me.

The group hurried over to her with the attempt to wake her up. Several tries did cause her to stir.

"Just...a few more minutes…" she murmured.

"Frankie, there's no time for this!"

"Hmm...huh?" Her eyes partially to see Mac and the others. "Oh, hey guys...You're back already?"

"Mr. Herriman called for you on the intercom," Wilt answered. "I'm sorry, but I've never seen you asleep in the kitchen before. Is everything okay?"

"Wait...what time is it?"

She glanced at her watch only to notice that it was almost half past three. Her eyes widened instantly and threw herself out of the chair.

"No way! It's that late already!?" She finds herself looking around the kitchen, spotting traces of spilled soup everywhere, including the message. "What happened here? Wait a minute...where's Cherry?"

"Cherry was here?" The blue friend questioned as her name was mentioned. "Do you know where she went?"

"I-I don't know…" She scratched her head in confusion. "She was helping me with lunch earlier...After service we helped ourselves with the leftovers, but I guessed I dozed off. Surely Mr. Herriman is barking at me over something chore related, but if Cherry hasn't gotten to it either..."

"Coco...coco coco? (You don't think...she went missing?)" Coco asked.

The group took a second of silence.

"Missing!?" Everyone else worried.

"But where would she go!?" Bloo jumped. "She couldn't have run away, right? She'd have no reason to! Unless...was it me? I caused this didn't I!?"

"Relax, Bloo, I'm sure it wasn't your fault," Mac replied, crossing his arms. "Something doesn't add up here. Knowing Cherry, she wouldn't have left Frankie sleeping here. She's more courteous than that."

"Not to mention leaving dirty dishes," Wilt notices. "These bowls look like they weren't finished."

"Mmm...tomato soup," Eduardo wafted the scent, despite it now being cold. "Wish we were here to try it."

"Wait...the soup…" Frankie just had a thought. "I'm pretty sure I fell asleep as soon as I had some!"

"You fell asleep from it?" Mac asked. "You don't think that it might've had a sleeping aid, did it?"

Thinking it over, it was definitely possible.

"Yeah, it could be," Frankie answered. "Nyancy served it to both of us after we finished serving the other friends."

"Who's Nyancy?" Eduardo asked.

"Another friend that helped us." Suddenly another thought clicked in her head. "No...it couldn't have been her."

"You mean Nyancy?"

"Unfortunately...She was the only other friend here that could have slipped the aid in my soup. I wouldn't be surprised if...she did it to Cherry too before taking her."

More silence filled the room until the blue friend spoke up.

"If she was taken, then we gotta find her!" He said. "Surely she shouldn't have gone far!"

"But we don't know if Nyancy had done it, Bloo," Mac followed. "If so, what was her motive? Why even leave evidence behind?"

Everyone took time to think. Frankie was staring at her unfinished soup only to notice a note that peeked from underneath the bowl. Pushing it aside, the note had a written message:

Let's settle this once and for all, Bloo. Stop by at 3:30PM. Surely a nyew record will come from this.

~Nyancy

"Uh, Bloo?" She began, before passing over the note. "I think this was meant for you."

The blue friend reads the note.

"What? This doesn't make sense," he answered in confusion. "Why would Nyancy direct this at me? I've never seen her before!"

"Pretty sure you bump into her on a common occurrence." Wilt said.

"Coco coco coco…(You just fail to notice it…)" The bird shook her head.

"I don't fail to notice it! She should just make herself more noticeable! Regardless, let's get back to my question!"

"Could it be a grudge?" Eduardo wondered. "Did you do something that she'll never forgive you for?"

"What would make her hold a grudge with me? Putting that aside, it still doesn't tell us where she could've taken Cherry!"

"Wait, let me see that," Mac took a moment to read the note. "A new record? What if she's referring to where you and I made the world's largest rubber band ball in?"

"You mean the theater?"

"Then what are we waiting for?" Frankie spouts. "It's almost 3:30, so let's hurry!"


	16. Chapter 16

Everyone fled out of the kitchen towards the home's theater. Once arrived, the stage had its curtains closed. The group was even surprised that the place was packed. Every imaginary friend must be here. Despite being a home for them, the theater still had a big occupancy. Even Madame Foster and Mr. Herriman were there front and center. It was almost time, as suddenly the lights had dimmed.

"It's nyice of nyou to have shown up, Bloo."

Nyancy's voice could be heard from the speakers. The constant low chatter ceased soon after. A spotlight had shone upon them within the walkway, which allowed the crowd to turn to them.

"It must be nice to have what I've been wanting for so long."

"What are you talking about?" The blue friend called back. "You're saying this when I'm sure we've never met before!"

"Silly Bloo...I knyow we have, but it's unfortunate that I'll have to spell it out for nyou."

Shortly after finishing that sentence, the curtains had begun to open. Everyone's eyes widened to what they saw: a giant ball of tightly knitted yarn, which took the appearance of the world's largest rubber band ball the whole house could remember. Although the thought of it seemed nostalgic, someone was strapped in between one of the strings…

...It was Cherry, still appearing asleep.

The group's eyes had widened. Even the audience was in shock.

"Cherry!" They called, as they proceeded to make their way to the stage.

"Cherry! Can you hear us!?" Bloo announced. "Wake up!"

Hearing her name did cause her to stir. Still having heavy eyelids, the pink friend managed to open them. Everything looked a bit blurry in her eyes, but they soon became clear as she noticed Bloo and her friends in distress.

"Bloo…?" She mustered. "I must've fallen asleep...What brings you-..."

She noticed that she couldn't move her body. Suddenly looking around, she was now wide awake. Her arms and legs were tightly weaved in between the strings.

"What!? What's going on!? Guys, get me out of this!"

"Don't move anyother step."

The friends proceeded to move towards the ball only to be halted by the cat friend, who was seen walking slowly towards them from backstage.

"Nyancy?" Frankie said. "What's the meaning of this?"

"Oh, I just wanted to see one of the home's favorite friends get humiliated in front of everyone," the cat answered, crossing her arms. "Sadly, I think her compassion is utterly revolting."

"That's not how you should address an innocent friend, young lady!" Mr. Herriman spoke out of turn. "Expect this to go on your record!"

"Can it, cottontail!" She snapped. "Or else I'll knyit nyou into a sweater!"

The rabbit was silenced immediately. Madame Foster signaled him to calm down and listen to avoid additional confrontation. She surely wanted to see how this played out.

"It really annoys me nyat nyou had to take all the glory, Cherry," Nyancy said. "Though tell me: How does it feel to be where nyou never expected?"

"What are you talking about?" Cherry asked. "Was this what you've been putting your knitting towards?"

"A fine piece of work, isn't it? I bet the memories are coming back any minute nyow. How does it feel to nyow be at the peak of humiliation, sister?"

"...Sister?"

Cherry wasn't the only one that the sibling name had clicked for. Nearly everyone had remembered the news, so the answer was obvious.

"Wait, Nyancy has another sister!?" Bloo jumped to the less obvious conclusion.

"No, stupid!" Mac countered, facepalming himself.

"Nyat's alright," the cat friend smiled. "I still love nyou all the same, Bloo."

A quick pull of her costume revealed her true colors: A familiar figure that nearly matched Cherry's in every way. Berry had returned; the imaginary friend that was coined as "the sweetest girl in the world".

"Heather!?" The blue friend spouted.

"It really hurts, Bloo," the magenta friend sighed. "I've been with you a lot longer than my sister, and it pains me so much that she grew on you far better than me. Don't you think?"

"It's likely because she had made me open my eyes," he replied. "She even gave me space and was willing to become friends despite the misunderstandings!"

"I've been watching how you interacted with her firsthand. I was absolutely thrilled that you had believed Cherry was me in disguise. I was happy that you were persistent in pushing her away, but she still managed to get to you...into your heart. That made me furious so I had to intervene, but I had to disguise myself so you wouldn't notice."

"But why would you do this?" The pink friend questioned.

Berry turned to her.

"I've always envied you, sis," she began. "It's annoying that you were made to be just like the introverted twin: naturally kind, considerate, and easily dependable. You shouldn't be getting this much praise when it was me that helped you discover who you are. I worked hard to make you break your comfort zone, and this is how you repay me? Stealing Bloo for yourself!? What sister does that!?"

"He was never your boyfriend, Berry! You can't just proclaim yourself and expect him to follow through! Love doesn't work that way!"

The group thought it was odd to see sisters fighting over someone as self-centered as Bloo, but at least they were able to conclude which one was more suited for him.

"You always want to have your way," Cherry said. "You always claimed yourself as the better sister because you believed that it's better to fight for what you want!"

"When there's something I want, I'll take it!" Berry argued. "Too bad if you don't like that! I like the way I am!"

"Just what do you want from me!?"

She held up a remote control.

"I want you to leave Foster's!"

"What!? No way!"

"It doesn't matter what your answer is. This remote will send you on your way in a matter of seconds!"

"You can't just force Cherry to leave!" Mac intercepts. "It's her choice whether she wants to!"

"Quiet Mac!" Berry cut him off. "This isn't about you! You're a bane of my existence too!"

"Berry, please!" Cherry pleaded. "I know you better than this! Why can't you just come to terms with it!?"

"Because all I wanted was for him to acknowledge me!"

Cherry never expected that answer. The theater was completely silent.

"What do you mean…?" She asked.

"I was glad he had initially followed in my footsteps: casting suspicion on you and driven to push you over the edge. I had high hopes that he would drive you out without a hassle until your little outburst took him down a few pegs. Soon he began to run after you! He became eager to befriend you! Eager to play with you! Eager to help you! Eager to grow closer whenever you were around! He even says your name right and it drives me crazy! The sooner you're far away from here, the more I can finally believe that you had never existed!"

It felt like many needles were driven into the pink friend's heart. Everything she heard was hurtful, but Berry's words were all due to jealousy. But the more she thought about it felt burdening. She began to think that she had overstepped her sister's boundaries, and wondered if leaving would really return things to normal. She took a moment to oversee the audience watching this event in disbelief. She could see the fire of determination in her friends, trying their best to defend her...all because she had admitted she loved an egotistical moron like Bloo.

...All she wanted was the fighting to stop.

With her friends showing little to no avail, she was aware this was between Berry and herself.

"I'm sorry, Berry," she uttered. "I had no idea this was getting to you."

"Cherry, why are you apologizing!?" Frankie wondered. "You're not in the wrong here!"

"And neither are you, but this isn't your fight. It's between my sister and I."

That silenced her quickly.

"Berry, you were always best at getting what you wanted. Seeing how messy things have gotten, would you be happy if you send me away?"

"I most certainly will," Berry answered, without no hesitation. "I shouldn't have a need to repeat myself."

...Cherry wondered if she was thinking the same idea as her.

"That's fine, but I would rather not go out like this."

"Why? This way makes it memorable!"

"That's...not what I mean."

Cherry's friends were just as confused as Berry was. Even the audience looked amongst each other figuring out the meaning of her response. Being as sincere and straight faced as she can be, she looked out to the crowd.

"I want you all...to forget about me."


	17. Chapter 17

Wait...what did she mean by that?

It didn't make much sense to anyone...except maybe one person. Mr. Herriman heard Madame Foster suddenly sigh. Passing a glance at her, she appeared to have her head bowed and eyes closed. Looking closely at her face it appeared sullen, but he couldn't figure out why.

"Such a smart girl," she whispered. "To know that there's another side to imaginary friends by means of existence…"

Did she mean...there was a way to reverse their existence?

"Way ahead of you," Berry concluded, preparing to press the button on the remote. "The sooner you're out of here the better!"

"That's expected, but I don't think you quite understand." Cherry said.

"What do you mean, Cherry?" Mac questioned.

"It's exactly what I mean. Clear your minds of me...Just forget that I exist, and soon it'll become real."

It soon became clear to everyone...especially Bloo. It was as if the realization hit them with a ton of bricks.

"What? You're kidding, right!?" The blue friend interjected. "I thought imaginary friends could only exist! They can't just disappear!"

"Wait, what!?" Berry followed. "Are you serious? You're lying...You're just trying to get attention!"

They could suddenly see a small speck of her shoulder become transparent. It was clear that this wasn't a joke. Everyone's eyes couldn't get any wider. Someone had forgotten her already? Who was it?

Mr. Herriman glanced over to Madame Foster again, only to notice tears were seen sliding down her cheeks. She didn't sob, nor did she utter a word. But her hands were shaking. Did she...do what Cherry requested?

"I've caused everyone trouble," Cherry said. "If I had known there would be repercussions I would have never come to Foster's. Everyone would be better off without me here…"

"Are you crazy!?" Frankie called. "You have no idea how much of a huge help you've been around here, especially me! Even though it's been over a week, you've helped just about everyone here! You can't expect us to just forget that! I've always wanted to repay you for your kindness, but…why do I feel like I've only taken advantage of it!?"

Cherry looked at her, noticing Frankie's eyes had welled up with tears.

"You haven't taken advantage of me," she smiled. "I've told you that it's in my nature to help you. It's not because I needed to, but because I wanted to. Next to my creator, I can say you were the first friend I ever grew close to. You've helped me open up to other friends and encouraged me every step of the way. I'm thankful we've met."

Frankie was prepared to sob, but she had to retain her composure. As a result, without noticing the elder owner, she too closed her eyes and bowed her head. Seeing that the same action was repeated, Mr. Herriman also followed suit, clutching Madame's hands tightly. The remainder of the group could see that many other friends within the audience did the same...which soon resulted in more of Cherry's body becoming transparent. An arm, foot, and other shoulder were disappearing. Mac, Bloo and Berry appeared as if they were in absolute shock.

"Cherry! Please don't make us do this!"

The pink friend looked over to Wilt, Eduardo and Coco, all with tears in their eyes.

"You coming to Foster's didn't feel like it was long enough," Wilt mustered. "I'm sorry, but please...just call this off!"

"Coco! Coco coco coco coco…! (Wilt is right! There's so much we haven't done yet…!)"

"Si! There's so much we haven't done!" Eduardo followed. "Just give us a day! We can still do everything!"

Cherry only smiled.

"I would've been happy to, except this event has been unfortunate, hasn't it?" She said. "Wilt, I've never had a friend that was as kind and helpful as you. Eduardo, you have a heart of gold and beyond that is a huge sea of courage, so continue to be strong. And Coco…" she takes a breath. "Coco coco...coco, coco coco. (Stay beautiful...both you, and your language.)"

Why was it that her words have been hitting everyone close to her just right...? Others who weren't ready to forget were astounded that the pink friend knew what to say, and it only made them panic more. The three felt at peace hearing those words, and thus bowed their heads.

...And soon her opposing arm and leg became transparent.

"There's still time to stop this, Cherry!" Bloo's best friend called, trying his best to hold back tears. "You're letting your sister have her way again! She can't be in control of your life! Why even do this to yourself!?"

"...To protect your memory."

Mac stopped to take in what she meant.

"You won't remember this event once you forget."

"But what about you!? Don't you love the memories you had!?"

She smiled.

"...Very much," she answered. "I wouldn't have gotten this far without them. But there's only one person who can cherish the memories they already have."

"There is…?"

"You, Mac. You come here everyday to make memories. It doesn't have to include everyone you meet...The important thing is to cherish them with the ones you care about the most, and that can be everyone else that still lives under this roof. You're still one of the closest friends I've had...so don't stop yourself from making new ones."

As tears began falling down his face, he nodded. Noticing the crowd, he proceeded to copy their action. The pink friend's lower half became transparent.


	18. Chapter 18

"Cherry, please!"

The voice came from Bloo.

"Was this all my fault!? Please, answer me! It was me, wasn't it!? Whatever it is, I wanna fix it! I can make things work!"

Deep down, it was hard for Cherry to know what to say to him. Seeing his eyes welled up with tears felt like there was a knot in her throat. Eventually she managed to loosen it.

"No," she answered. "You've done nothing wrong to cause this…"  
"But it has to be! I judged you when you arrived at Foster's! I even joked with your name and pestered you every chance I had to get a rise out of you!"  
"True, but that's all behind us now…"  
"Are you kidding!? Wouldn't you at least still be upset with me? I've been so selfish, immature and naive to not see that all you wanted was for me to respect you!"  
"But you already have my respect…"  
"But I can't lose you! I don't know if I'll ever find someone who matches me in Galaxy Wars…" He showed her the game. "I was looking forward to surprising you with the new game, but...without you I just don't have a plan! Even if I did have one, it just won't be the same!"  
"Bloo…"  
"I don't want to forget you, Cherry! You've opened my eyes so much that I never realized how much you mean to me! For days I couldn't sleep because you were always on my mind! Every time I saw you since then I couldn't muster up the courage to really tell you how I feel! How can you leave when you were a piece of me that I never knew I needed!? Just put an end to all this...because, I…" He still appeared nervous noting the huge blush on his face, but this wasn't the time to back out. "I...I love you, Cherry!"

Surely it was loud enough that the whole house could hear. The pink friend's eyes had widened in surprise. She couldn't help but have tears fall down her face, but managed to keep a warm smile.

"I was afraid to say it, but...it makes me even happier to hear it from you," she says, with a trickle in her voice. "I love you too, Bloo."

Tears proceeded to fall down his face. Even though Cherry hasn't gotten to Berry yet, the magenta friend could feel emotions that she didn't expect to feel before.

"I know you don't show it often," Cherry said. "But you are indeed caring. You can be respectful and know when you're in way over your head. Despite your flaws I can't help but love each and every one of them, so don't change for my sake. You have a lot of time ahead of you, so please don't miss out on a single moment."  
"Is there anything else I can do!?" Bloo asked desperately. "Please, just name it!"  
"Respect my sister's name...and smile."

The answer caught him by surprise.

"It would mean a lot to Berry if you call her by name. And your smile...was what had captivated me the most. As much as I'd be happy to play the new Galaxy Wars beside you, please, cherish that for me..."

It was unexpected for Bloo to be broken down this way. Tears just kept rolling, but he nodded. Deep down, he still didn't want to let her go. He eventually caved when he looked at the game in his hands, hugging it tightly as he closed his eyes.

The only thing that wasn't transparent was her head.

"So...you've finally won."

The pink friend shifted her head to the last one remaining...her own sister.

"You finally won Bloo's affection...and now you're leaving it all behind."  
"I never was going to win this fight," Cherry answered. "I had no chance."  
"So you think leaving this way would fix this!? After you've gone great lengths to humiliate me!?"  
"This was what you wanted, right? To wish for me to never exist?"

Berry paused on that question.

"W-Well yeah, but this isn't how I expected it to go!" She answered. "With you out of the picture-...!"  
"Then no one would stop you from having Bloo all to yourself...right?"  
"Yeah...but!"  
"So who did you think really won?"

The magenta friend looked to the floor.

"Believe me when I say that this is for our own good. Back then you've helped me become a better imaginary friend, and now once I've finally shined you decide to destroy everything I've worked up to."  
"I...I only wanted Bloo to acknowledge me," Berry said. "I've been after him much longer than you have, and you managed to win his heart with hardly any effort! It was like you were playing hard to get!"  
"But that wasn't my intention."  
"What do you mean?"  
"It's true that I wanted to befriend everyone, but I'm never the one to make the first move. He chose to go after me because he was confident to believe I was you. For the longest time I didn't want him to find me, because I didn't want his beliefs to spread throughout the house."

"You think I wasn't listening in?! Didn't you say that you were nothing like me!?"  
"I said that to also keep him from talking bad about you!"

Huh? What did she mean?

"I...I don't understand." Berry wondered.  
"Did you think I never thought about you?" Cherry said. "You're my sister, Berry. I don't always like what you do to get what you want, but I couldn't let him talk you down like that. Sure, he aimed at me, but shouldn't he learn to respect you too? Whether you were the one that wanted him or not, he should acknowledge you better."

Berry looked down at the floor. She didn't think of it that way. Cherry was looking after her the whole time? The more she thought it through, it made their time together up to lunch seem...unforgiving.

"...I looked up to you, Berry."

The magenta friend looked back at her.

"I remember how you used to be as kind as me: you were sincerely passionate and a great role model was willing to help me every step of the way. I had wished that it would have remained that way, but you chose to become swallowed by doubt and jealousy. You chose to take my kindness for granted...and now this is what it comes to."  
"No...stop...I was wrong!" Her sister pleaded. "I'm sorry I took everything you did for granted! Bloo is just…! I...I just love him too! You made it seem so easy...while I just became obsessed and willing to do anything to make him mine. If that's not love...then..."

Tears began to fall down her face, trying hard to keep her composure.

"I deserve to not have you as a sister…"  
"...I still love you."

Berry nearly jumped to that statement.

"Our time together was fun while it lasted," the pink friend smiled. "But only you can determine how to manage your life the moment I'm gone."  
"No, please...It's all my fault! I can't forget you...Just come back to us!"  
"Berry…"  
"I want to be a better sister to you. I've been so selfish! If you leave, then...how will I ever forgive myself!?"  
"...Maybe you'll find a way."  
"Find...a way…?"  
"You'll never know. Maybe...you'll get an opportunity."

Knowing there was no way to reverse what was done, the magenta friend had to do what was needed. Her hands had balled into fists, feeling that she had finally met defeat.

"I love you, sister…" Berry mustered, before closing her eyes and bowing her head. "Forgive me…"

With the room in complete silence, the pink friend finally closed her eyes.

"...Thank you all...Thank you...for everything…"


	19. Chapter 19

Minutes have passed, and everyone within the theater has begun to open their eyes one by one. Many have wondered why their cheeks felt drafty, as they could not recall why they were shedding tears. Frankie took a look around, as she couldn't recall why they were all packed within the theater. Regardless, a lot of them began to exit the area. Madame Foster kept staring at the giant ball trapped in thought till Mr. Herriman escorted her out.

"Any reason why we're all here?" She asked.

"Beats me," Mac answered. "Was it for a ceremony of some sort?"

"I don't know...We're not really dressed for the part."

Wilt and the others began to engage in a similar conversation, the magenta friend was wiping off the tears she had, and looked around to notice the giant ball of knitted yarn. To her, she couldn't help but feel it was a deja vu moment. The problem is she didn't know why it was there, or why was she at Foster's for that matter. Bloo was doing nearly the same thing, until he glanced down at the long-awaited game picked up from PlayFair.

"Oh yeah!" He said to his friends. "I've been waiting to play this! What are we in the theater for?"

"That's right!" Mac replied. "Galexon and Pylex were planning to make an alliance, right?"

"Yeah! We gotta play it now! Dibs on Admiral Titus for co-op!"

Checking her watch, a sudden thought popped into Frankie's head which caused her to nearly freak out.

"Oh man! I still gotta take care of the laundry, bathrooms and get dinner ready!" She said frantically.

"Don't worry, Frankie," Wilt followed. "We can help you out. I can cover the laundry. Eduardo and Coco can handle the bathrooms in question. Sound like a plan, guys?"

"Si!" The bull friend agreed.

"Coco! (No problem!)" Coco nodded.

"Now that I mention it...the kitchen is still a mess!" Frankie remembered.

"Um...I can help with that."

They turned to a familiar magenta friend, who happened to be listening in, hardly making eye contact.

"I don't know why, but I think I was responsible for the mess. That is, if you don't mind me helping."

"Of course, Berry. Any help is welcome, that is if you're up to it. Not sure where that big ball of yarn came from, but we'll worry about that later."

"Okay."

"Come on, Mac!" Bloo said with excitement. "To the arcade!"

"Right behind you!"

As they were prepared to exit, Bloo still noticed Berry still staring at the large ball. She kept scratching her head till she nearly jumped to a particular voice.

"See you around, Berry," He said. "It is Berry, right?"

Even his friends appeared shocked to hear him say her name correctly for once. Seeing his face almost pulled her close to him.

"U-Uh yes!" She answered, nearly stumbling. "Sure…"

Her heart continues to race around him as it always has. She couldn't help but giggle a bit.

Days after the mysterious event in the theater had gone by pretty smoothly. It was as if it never happened. Berry kept playing her general antics to get Bloo close to her and had several attempts to push Mac and his friends away. To Mac's surprise, the attempts weren't as...serious as he remembered. They seemed more playful at best, and it was tolerable. Even Bloo thought the same way, despite not being interested.

When they were playing outside one day, Mac went in to get drinks for everyone. Oddly, upon entering the foyer, he chose to take a detour.

He headed towards the theater.

The yarn ball was still there, unknown whether it had caught much dust since the past few days of avoiding this place. He still doesn't know why he brought himself here. The ball was like an abstract painting that he tried to analyze. It must have meant something otherwise he wouldn't be here. Not paying any mind to the time, he got to the stage to get a closer look.

"It's weird that no one knew why this was here," he said to himself. "So why am I so drawn to it?"

"You've been thinking about it too?"

The voice didn't surprise him, but he did recognize the figure as they walked in with their cane: Madame Foster. She was headed towards the stairs of the stage, so Mac helped her up.

"Thank you, dearie," she smiled. "You're such a gentleman."

"No problem, Madame Foster. So what brought you here?"

"The same reason as you. That yarn ball had been boggling my mind for days. It must be important, but I can't bring myself as to why."

"Same. It had to be important if we were all brought here. The only thing I could feel that might match was Berry."

"Berry? How so?"

"Well, we remember Berry's first visit. She became super obsessed with Bloo and tried to separate him from me due to her jealousy. She kept putting herself between us while we were trying to break the record of the world's largest rubber band ball. Now that I think of it, this yarn ball was about the same size."

"I see. That is a plausible explanation."

"Really? What were your thoughts?"

Foster moved closer to the ball.

"I think…" she began. "Something happened here that we had to forget."

Mac looked surprised.

"...What?" He said. "What do you mean forget?"

"Why else would you ask yourself those questions? Surely the reason behind it connects you, Berry and your friends. You were all on stage."

She was right. They all had to be connected somehow. Was it that obvious to figure out? Was it not leading them anywhere? That does lead to another question: Why was Berry still here? Didn't she leave Foster's before? Why was she back and oddly tolerable now? Did everyone just enter an alternate timeline? Even Bloo was calling her by name! Was this all a dream? It was starting to give Mac a headache.

"Ugh! Why is this bothering me so much!?"

"Maybe," Foster had a theory. "It wasn't something we had to forget, but…"

Mac's eyes widened.

"...Someone?"

Memories began flooding back: their first meeting, their first hangout, their first serious talk, the interaction with Bloo, the foyer performance...all leading up to the giant ball of yarn. Each image he remembered had a silhouette of someone there until…

...he spotted a pink figure turning to him, showing off her signature hair sprig and warm smile.

"...Cherry," he whispered. "Cherry was her name! I can't believe we forgot her!"

The name clicked for Madame Foster as well.

"I can't believe it," she said. "It all makes sense now!"

"I gotta go tell the others! They'd be excited to hear this!"

Mac was held back by her extended cane.

"Perhaps it's better not to."

"Huh? But why?"

"It's not that they would be excited to hear the news, but they may not also be."

"What do you mean?"

"This is a very sensitive matter. Whether they're ready to listen, they may also think you might have a screw loose."

She has a point. Mac's friends don't want him to think he's crazy, despite discovering what's been missing from them.

"If I can make a suggestion," Foster said. "No matter how long it takes, let them discover it on their own."

"...I understand," Mac said. "Guess I better get back to them. I told them I was getting drinks and that's a bit overdue."

"You sure you're able to keep it a secret?"

"Yeah. Don't worry, Madame Foster. I won't let you down. At least let me help you back down the stairs."

"Still a kind young man." She smiled.

An unknown figure stood by the ball of yarn, possibly watching them as they left.


	20. Chapter 20

Later in the day, Frankie felt like her daily chores were overwhelming. She didn't realize it a few days ago, but it was finally starting to weigh her down. It was like the workload had steadily increased due to more messes and more clutter. She couldn't even bother with cooking. She was stuck doing take out orders since her chore list was barely making a dent. Eventually Wilt saw her struggling to move a teetering tower of boxes in one of the many halls and kept her from causing an accident.

"Easy, Frankie," he said, catching the tower of boxes prior to her falling. "Good thing I was here! Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she replied, standing back up. "Thanks Wilt. Sorry about that...Work has been piling up and doesn't seem to find an end!"

"Then I'm open to help. Where are we taking these to?"

"To the storage room. At least let me take a stack of them."

As the two were walking through the halls, the tall friend noticed that Frankie had been quiet.

"You're usually good at holding a conversation," he wondered. "You sure you're okay?"

"Oh, yeah," Frankie said. "Sorry. Something has been on my mind for a while now."

"What's going on?"

"I'm not sure. I know I was used to handling the daily workloads back then, but I can't help but think that it hasn't been under control lately. Do you think it's weird to be thinking like this?"

"No, not at all. I have noticed you busier than usual though. You should probably ask us for help when you need it."

"You know I shouldn't be asking so much of you guys...It's still my job."

"But it's our choice to help you. Accept the gratitude every once in a while."

"You're right, you're right. Maybe it's just...I don't know...I keep feeling like I didn't always have so much to do. Like someone was helping me."

"Really?"

"I can't deny it. It's been nagging on my mind." She looks at him. "Have you had any thoughts like this before?"

"Not really? I'm sorry that I'm having trouble relating."

"No, that's okay. I'm probably just imagining it."

Soon they entered down a hallway that the tall friend definitely recognized. It was the one that had the antique chandelier. Frankie didn't pay any mind to it as they were walking by, but she did stop when she noticed Wilt stopped to stare at it.

"Wow, it looks beautiful," she commented. "It must've taken a long time for assembly."

"Yeah, it was," he answered. "Well, it was going to be until someone offered to help."

"Who was it?"

"It was-..."

He had blanked. He knew he had help, but nothing was coming to him.

"...That's odd...I can't remember."

"You're feeling the same way too?"

"Yeah...I'm sorry."

"Ugh...This is so frustrating. I swear I remember someone helping me with some of the chores..."

"It's like I could recall them standing on my hand for a boost..."

"Whoever it was...they were one of the kindest-..."

Sudden flashbacks hit them both, sending scenes of this mystery friend through their minds like the flip of a switch. Silhouettes of each moment were in place till they visualized a familiar pink figure. Everything clicked within seconds.

"Was that...Cherry?" Frankie asked herself.

"You remember her too!?" the tall friend said in near shock. "I can't believe we forgot her! Why did we do that!?"

"I-I don't know! It makes me wonder if the others forgot too...Maybe we should tell them!"

"...Maybe, we shouldn't. At least not yet."

Frankie looked at him in disbelief.

"Huh? But why?"

"I'm sorry, Frankie, but...I think it'd be better to ensure everyone close to Cherry is on the same page first."

"...Yeah, you're right. We'll wait till our friends start to remember on their own."

The two proceeded into the next room, while an unknown figure creeped into the hall they were just in to stare up at the chandelier.


	21. Chapter 21

"Coco coco coco coco! (I'm sure it was here somewhere!)"

"What was somewhere?"

After dinner, Coco and Eduardo were in the recreation room in search of something.

"Coco coco! Coco coco coco coco. (Your stuffed rabbit! I'm positive that I last saw it in here.)"

"Thank you for trying to help find it for me, but I'm not really up to looking for it."

"Coco? Coco coco coco coco? (Huh? You want to give up on the two-month search?)"

"It's not that I'm giving up. It's because I learned to have courage without it."

"Coco coco? Coco coco coco coco coco coco, coco? (Oh really? So you're saying you'd be able to stand up to someone like Bloo's clingy girlfriend, huh?)"

"Standing up to Berry?" He jokingly swatted the air at her. "Let's not go too far. I don't think I have the energy."

"Coco coco coco coco coco? (Did someone teach you or did you teach yourself?"

"Someone definitely taught me! It was-..."

It was odd that he was drawing a blank. The pause had gone one pretty long to an extent that the bird friend cocked her head at him.

"...Coco coco? (You don't remember?)" she wondered.

"Si...I don't." He scratched his head. "It's weird...I know someone helped me, but I'm having trouble remembering."

"Coco, coco? (You too, huh?)"

"You forgot something too?"

"Coco...coco coco coco. Coco coco coco coco. (It's...been on my mind for a few days. I think I was teaching them something.)"

"Well...it'd be great if it does turn up. Let me check the lost and found bin."

As the bull friend turned behind a tall shelf to get to the bin, Coco kept wondering what the missing link was. With enough thought, she figured a clue might be in her notebook. Since it's not common for her to "hold" items, she lays an egg that spontaneously had the notebook in it...only to suddenly get snatched away. It was Bendy, once again causing more trouble. He had two other friends with him: one was snakelike and the other was that of a boar.

"Coco! Coco coco! (Hey! Give that back!)" she spouted.

"Give it back? I don't think so," Bendy grinned. "It seems pretty valuable to you, so all the more reason to keep it, right?"

"Coco coco! Coco coco coco coco coco? (No it's not! Don't you think it's important to remember what was lost?)"

"Remember what was lost?" The yellow friend rotates the book on his finger. "Please...What annoying bird has time to remember anything? Besides, it's not like anyone gonna stop you."

Ed couldn't find anything in the bin, but overheard the conversation going on. Peeking behind the shelf, he spotted Bendy along with his two cohorts playing catch with Coco's notebook. Seeing that it was three against one, he somewhat felt demoralized. He wanted to help his friend, but he couldn't figure out what was holding him back. He was just talking about having courage too…If only the memory would come back.

"I wonder where your friends are?" Bendy wondered. "It's a shame they're not around to save you."

"That's totally fine," the boar friend spoke. "We also have something of theirs that will have them regret messing with you in the first place!"

That was a cue for the snake friend to reveal a certain toy: the pink stuffed rabbit. Seeing it put Eduardo in an instant shock.

A thought flew through his mind soon after:

The only one that can bring out our confidence is ourselves...

...It sparked his memory.

"Cereza…" he mouthed, before the confidence flowed into him.

He marched out to the three goons, every step nearly shooting a shiver down their spines. They didn't realize he was nearby, and began to huddle closely.

"So you've had my conejo all this time," he began. "Would you be so kind as to return both that and the notebook to us?"

"...Y-Yeah right!" Bendy attempts to stay tough. "And what if I tear them into pieces?"

"Ripped or not...I will show you no mercy."

The yellow friend nearly turned pale. It was even enough to shake his friends to the very core with fear. Having a stand off this long told him that Ed wasn't backing down in the slightest. Even Coco was surprised that his serious switch was flipped. The troublemakers didn't realize they had dropped the items prior to scurrying out of the room.

"Coco, coco! (Thanks, Ed!)" Coco jumped. "Coco coco coco coco! (Never thought I'd see that in action!)"

"De nada. I nearly forgot I had courage for a moment...Seeing the rabbit sparked the memory I had with Cereza."

"Coco? (Cereza?)"

The bull friend picked up his rabbit and Coco did the same to her notebook.

"She was our pink friend! Surely you have something to remember her!"

She remembered the reason why she took out the notebook. On a whim she had flipped to a particular page...the one that the aforementioned friend had written in. Her eyes immediately widened, as it had finally clicked.

"Coco coco! Coco coco coco coco coco! (You were right! I knew there was something I was missing!)"

"I'm glad you remember! Do you think the others should know?"

"Coco...coco coco coco, (Maybe...but let's wait,)" the bird friend said. "Coco coco coco coco coco. (I feel not all of us haven't remembered yet.)"

"Wait? Who do you think is left aside from the rest of the house?"

"Coco...coco coco coco coco coco coco… (I feel...that the one who loved her the most has yet to realize that she's no longer here…)"

"Azul…"

The unknown figure from before was meant to pass by the room earlier, but hid nearby to catch the entire conversation.


	22. Chapter 22

Moonlight had shined through the window only to beam straight into Bloo's face. It was bedtime, so everyone else was snoozing away except for him. For some odd reason he couldn't sleep. He swore he was tired prior to hitting the hay, but he couldn't tell whether the moon's rays or whatever was on his mind was at fault.

Wait...Something was on his mind? Either way, the moonlight wasn't making it better. He couldn't figure out why he was acting this way. Maybe a few rounds in the arcade room might take his mind off things. He'd have to keep it down, but...since when did he start developing courtesy for others? Was it because of Berry? She has been clingy, but not has willing to go above and beyond to have him all to herself. To him, everything just felt...different.

He made it to the arcade, and sat on one of the two beanbags always resting in front of the TV. For days after getting Galaxy Wars, this was always his routine: wake up, bathroom, breakfast with friends, hang out with Berry, gaming, lunch with Berry, hang out with Berry, gaming with Berry, dinner with Berry, gaming with…

Berry just includes herself in everything he does after breakfast, and she still proclaims to not be clingy? She had even given him so many handmade sweaters...How did she get so much yarn to begin with? Either way, he oddly didn't mind it. She takes care of him, so he should be happy, right?

...So why does he still feel empty?

The more he kept being lost in thought caused him to lose focus on the game multiple times. Levels that he had passed with ease before became a waste to continue. He had only been playing for about thirty minutes. Surprisingly, he had never touched the game's story mode. It had always been arcade mode, and wondering how far he could go. There were times that he had offered Berry to play beside him and she did get the hang of it, but this particular feeling that latched onto him didn't feel normal. Was she the one he always liked playing with? Why did he feel like there was someone far better at this?

...Why did he think he was forgetting something important?

He looked over at the empty beanbag chair, trying to imagine what or who used to sit there. The sounds of the repetitive "Game Over" eventually made him turn the game off and stroll somewhere else.

Passing over the set of stairs towards the foyer, he oddly recalled a performance here. He moved to the dining hall and recalled multiple instances of something being a wiz at making and clearing dishes. At the library, he recalled that this place was a common hang out spot. He walked down the halls only to come across Berry's room. Wait...this was always her room? Why was he thinking it wasn't? Why were these memories coming back in pieces? Why couldn't he remember the main thing about them?

...Why did he remember he was kissed here?

No...It couldn't have been from Berry. To this day he confirms that she never had. Besides, it'd be a weird question to ask. His head was nearly aching with these memories until something came to mind: the giant yarn ball.

He hurried to the theater as quiet as he could...only to discover that it was no longer there. But why? Was it thrown out? Did it get used for something else? It was the key to everything. Surely he was connected to it somehow. Surely everyone else was too! They were all here! He was forgetting someone.

He had loved someone. He had confessed here. There was a figure that looked so much like Berry, and he felt horrible that he kept blanking. He felt depressed. He was nearly on the verge of tears. Maybe he should try Galaxy Wars again and focus this time.

"I don't want to be left in the dark…" he whispered, while entering the arcade room to sit in the chair. "I just need a sign. Come on, brain...give me something that I can work with…!"

"...Respect my sister's name…and smile..."

Bloo's eyes widened while he was deep into a level. Hearing it made him drop the controller. The sound of the voice came from outside the room. The words were familiar. The voice was familiar. Berry...had a sister…the name finally clicked.

Was that who was outside!? He thought no one would be up this late!

He rushed to exit into the hall...No one was there. Was his mind playing tricks on him? He could've sworn he heard a voice! Regardless...tears ran down his face. His memory was back, but it's clear that his reaction to it was nothing like the others. It was like his heart was ripped in half as he sunk down to the floor.

"Cherry…" he sobbed quietly. "I've been doing that...but it's been tough without you by my side…!"

The unknown figure could hear his sobs from the end of the corridor. Listening from afar had only made them wish the emptiness could disappear.


	23. Chapter 23

It was a new morning, which was Saturday. Bloo's friends have gotten up around the same time to make their way downstairs for breakfast. Much to Wilt's surprise, the blue friend's bed was made. That's something totally out of the ordinary, since he tends to always make it for him. Usually they would all go down together, but didn't think anything of it since all three assumed he had gone down before them. After dealing with their morning hygiene, they made their way to the dining hall...until the bell rang.

Mac made a surprise visit. He said the other day that he and Bloo would finally start story mode from Galaxy Wars. They'd hope to grind through it all day, so he had even brought a duffel bag packed for a potential sleepover.

"How come Bloo's not with you guys?" He asked.

"We figured he'd be already eating," Wilt believed. "Care to join us?"

"Absolutely. I kinda fled out the door without eating."

During the time being, the blue friend still wasn't in the dining hall. Had he eaten already? Mac hoped he didn't speed through breakfast or even skip just to play alone. Even Frankie had a moment to sit down with them.

"Where would he be if he's not here?" Mac wondered.

"I was surprised that his bed was made this morning," Wilt pointed. "I'm pretty sure he went to bed at the same time as us."

"That is strange," Frankie said. "If he's not here, then would his next known place be at the arcade?"

"Maybe," Mac said annoyed. "I just hope he didn't start playing story mode without me! He promised!"

"Then let's go. I can spare a few minutes."

The group rushed to the arcade room. It was mostly empty since it's still morning, but there was only one TV that had the Galaxy Wars logo flashing on it. Mac almost felt betrayed prior to stomping up to a peculiar best friend, with intent to give him a piece of his mind. What he saw was unexpected:

The friend's eyes were closed, still sleeping soundly, but his eyes appeared puffy. Was he crying…? He hardly ever reveals emotions like this to anyone, let alone retain a sad expression while asleep. The boy gazed back at the screen again, only to notice that Bloo had the game's selection stuck on "Arcade." Doing some extra digging, there was no save file set for the story mode. He had kept his word, but it doesn't explain why he was here.

"Bloo? Bloo, wake up!" Mac rocked him. "Were you sleeping here all night?"

"...Hm?" The blue friend said quietly, barely able to open his eyes. "Mac…? What are you doing here? What time is it?"

It was worse than Mac had thought. His eyes were still red while dark circles carried under his eyes. Seeing him like this makes the boy wonder if everything came back to him.

"Is Azul okay?" Ed asked. "You really look terrible…"

"Coco coco coco? (Did you have a nightmare?)"

"No...It wasn't a nightmare, but…" Bloo managed to sit up from the beanbag chair, watching the floor. "I kinda wished we were in one…"

They never heard that from him before. Mac turned to the others holding a sincere face.

"I figured to wait longer to ask this," he began. "Does everyone...remember everything?"

The others exchanged glances, only to return with a nod.

"We don't know if the other imaginary friends had their memories back," Frankie said. "I know she has helped a lot of us."

"Madame Foster also knows. Pretty sure she's banking on the rest to remember on their own."

"Even if they do, what good is that?"

They turned to Bloo, who readjusted the chair to face the others.

"I've always learned that kids are capable of bringing imaginary friends to life. I never thought there was a way to reverse that. I...I just never thought Cherry would know. Was she...waiting for this to happen?"

"No, that's impossible," Mac said. "Before knowing imaginary friends could disappear, she had a few options."

"Could it be she chose to disappear because she didn't want to deal with the humiliation?" Frankie asked. "But she talked to all of us so sincerely…"

"It makes me want to think that...she did this for her sister."

The room went silent.

"She has always said that Berry was the one she looked up to. She was the one that helped Cherry break from her quiet shell."

"So Cherry figured that if she was gone, her sister would have a fresh start?" Wilt asked.

"She might have figured things would be better for her this way," Frankie said. "It's not like she wanted to hog Berry's spotlight. It kinda sounds selfish, but I can understand why she didn't feel important enough to stay…"

"Are you kidding!? She had every reason to!" The blue friend called. "She deserves to be treated as equal as her sister! Couldn't there have been some compromise? She was worth far more to me than that…!"

"Bloo…"

Bloo looked at the floor.

"...I never thought there'd be someone that respected me for who I am, and made me open my eyes. I know that Mac and I were planning to start story mode of Galaxy Wars, but...even now I keep hesitating. Cherry was waiting so long for the sequel...but what's the point in playing it if she's not here with me…?"

"...Do you want her to come back?"

Everyone paused to a familiar voice that had shortly entered the room. A magenta friend looked at them, keeping an emotionless face. No one could really feel whether it was good to see her.

"Coco? (Berry?)" The bird friend breaks the silence.

"Berry? What are you doing here?" Mac asked.

"Feeling the same way as you," she answered. "The road of remembering my sister was a challenging experience."

"How long did it take you to figure it out?"

"As soon as you did. I've been watching you all since then."

"Watching? What do you mean by that?" Eduardo questioned.

"Just spectating from a distance: seeing your reactions, pre-realization struggles, and whether you wanted to tell everyone your discoveries. Other times I just pretend to have no memory of the yarn ball incident." She looked at Bloo with a smile. "I hope you kept all the sweaters I've knitted so far! Still got plenty more left to give you!"

"Wait...So that's where the giant yarn ball went!?" Bloo jumped from his chair. "Couldn't you have made them with something else aside from tampering the clues?"

"You mean the yarn ball isn't in the theater anymore?" Mac asked.

"Tampering?" Berry shook her head. "I made the ball in the first place. Besides, it'd be a waste of yarn if I didn't use it."

"That yarn ball was a key to all of this. Did you move it so to keep Bloo from remembering?"

The magenta friend looked a bit detached, as if she was winning a staring contest with the wall behind the others. She was silent for a moment. As her reputation was respected by the whole house since the incident, it wasn't worth giving up by running.

"...Respect my sister's name…and smile..."

Everyone's eyes widened at her, especially Bloo's. Her voice matched her sister's exactly.

"I couldn't keep watching you struggle like that, Bloo," Berry said I'm her regular voice. "I was worried you might've done something reckless if I hadn't pushed you along."

"But...why would you do that?" He asked.

"Believe me when I say that I can't help but still be jealous of what you and Cherry had. I figured removing the yarn ball would forever keep you in this new time loop, but...it's clear that I don't stand a chance even now."

Bloo didn't know how to respond. Of course she has been insanely jealous in the past, but this wasn't her greatest scheme to keep him all to herself. She could tell she was losing her touch...and perhaps the thought of her sister made her realize how much she had made an impact.

"...That was why I asked before," she began. "Would you like for her to come back?"

No one understood what she meant while she returned her gaze to them.

"I couldn't be sure whether it was possible, but Cherry told me to seek an opportunity. Kids are the only ones that can bring an imaginary friend to life, right?"

"If that's the case," Bloo moves in to grab Mac by the shoulders. "Then Mac should be able to bring her back, right!?"

"What? I can't do that!" He replied. "Creating a new friend takes accuracy and a lot of development. Besides, I chose to not make anymore because you're my one and only best friend."

"Yeah...you're right. It's not great having to house the ones that you're responsible for."

"But it already sounds impossible," Frankie said. "You would think that the only possibility is to have her creator imagine her again."

"But her creator had to have forgotten her," Mac pointed out. "She wouldn't have disappeared if there was someone still holding on."

"I'm sorry, but does bring up a question, Berry," Wilt started. "Would you know where Cherry's creator is?"

That question stopped her cold. Giving it thought, she rubbed her arms with averted eyes.

"...That's the problem," she said. "Our creators were separated when their parents separated. It's not like the twins hated each other, but like them, we were told to never keep in touch. We couldn't keep tabs on where the other was. Who knows where she is...but I don't want this to be a dead end."

The others wondered if it was pointless to have this conversation. They weren't giving a reaction Berry was expecting.

"You think I can't do it..." She spoke.

"I never said that," Mac said. "It's just that without a lead, I'm not sure if it can be pulled off. You'd really be digging at the bottom of the barrel."

"But it makes no sense for her to tell me to find a way!"

"But is tracking her down worth it!?"

"It has to be! We wouldn't even have this conversation if my sister didn't impact all of you!"

More silence flooded the room. They could tell her anger was flourishing.

"...You're lucky that I'm willing to do this," she stares at the floor. "My reputation had long been restored at Foster's. Who's to say that it'll only plummet once more if Cherry returns?"

"Wait, I don't understand." Bloo said.

"Bloo, of all people and imaginary friends, I can guarantee you'll no longer notice me like you do now. Once everything goes back to normal I'm sure to get knocked out of the spotlight. No one wants a friend who fights to get her way! No one wants a friend who's selfish, always jealous and only cares about herself! And you know what!?"

Being surprised, no one expected all of that anger to transform into tears.

"...I have no place here."

Bloo couldn't stop her from running off. Despite having disagreements, she still had a point. Was this really going to be the outcome if Cherry returns? Collectively it made the others feel...kind of terrible. Who are they to judge her? They know of her mistakes in the past, but at least they could tell she took Cherry's words into consideration for a second chance. It's awful that they didn't think about her feelings that way, and only wished they would be more grateful. The air seemed awkward now, but some like Frankie ran out of time to stick around. Was the motivation even there for Mac and Bloo to play their game while their friends watched? Either way, Bloo wasn't in the best condition. He hardly slept. Mac suggested he should rest for better focus. The blue friend denies it, but it didn't stop Wilt from carrying him to his room.


	24. Chapter 24

It was considered lucky that no one was in the library at this time. The magenta friend tried her best to shed tears quietly within a reclining chair, limiting her sobs while believing a large opened book would shield her face.

"Is that a book you would recommend?"

She was a bit startled, but closed the book to see Madame Foster standing before her. Madame's expression changed when she noticed that the friend averted her gaze to the floor.

"Oh no, dearie...Why the tears?"

"It's about…" Berry just had a thought. "Never mind...You probably don't remember."

"Do you mean your sister?"

She was surprised by her response and looked at her.

"How...did you know that?"

"I'm sure everyone knows by now. She's hard to forget when she had helped everyone here. She had left quite a mark within a week's time. Tell me...How have things been without her?"

"At first...I was thrilled. She never even crossed my mind once. I had all the quality time with Bloo to myself. I was in heaven...until that giant yarn ball in the theater emerged from my mind. I happened to enter the theater quietly when you and Mac were figuring it out. Her name kept ringing in the back of my mind until more of our friends figured it out...all except Bloo. A part of me didn't want him to remember, so I removed the yarn ball...but the guilt kept climbing till I gave him a little push. Now…" She looked to the floor. "I regret causing this mess in the first place...I don't think I can ever redeem myself…"

"So you believe that the chance at a new life hasn't been fruitful?"

"It has, but...if everyone remembers, there's no way that this life will remain the same. I'll just be recognized as the girl who casted out her own sister permanently." She sighed. "Maybe I'm better off leaving again...my days of helping others will never amount to what my sister has done. I can't compete with that..."

"I see…" Madame rubbed her chin. "That can happen when there's jealousy. You reminded me of me when I was younger. Mind if I give you some advice?"

"Sure…"

"Why not spend more time making something of yourself instead of trying to impress others?"

Berry didn't know how to react to that question, as it had struck her hard.

"An imaginary friend can only do so much. You're not like your sister, so stop trying to be her."

"But it's all my fault! There's no way I could be forgiven...even if there was a way for me to bring her back…!"

"Then wouldn't you rather be grateful?"

Grateful? What did she mean?

"Cherry gave you a second chance at starting over. If she were to return, would you force yourself to change the outcome or let the cards fall naturally?"

Keeping Bloo all to herself had always been her goal. She was always happy to be with him, but she was too greedy before. Even he was too oblivious to notice, but it wasn't like love was ever on his mind. Regardless, he knew how to be respectful to her. She is a girl after all. She kept forcing herself on him in hopes of acknowledgement, but all this time she thought that him being nice wasn't enough. Why couldn't she realize it before?

Either way, Berry managed to get to him one way or another. She had high hopes that he would drive Cherry away, until he saw something within her that Berry didn't have…

...She had sincerity. She had respect. What she did was always genuine. Despite learning from her sister, she was a natural. That's why he began to fall for her.

"...She was right about not forcing love," she says quietly. "I never thought she'd be the one teaching me a lesson."

"It's not easy letting go of something you love," Madame smiles. "But the important thing is being there for her."

"That's easy for you to say…It's not like I can make her reappear."

"You never know," She reaches for an envelope to hand to the magenta friend. "Perhaps that time has come a lot sooner than you think."

"What's this? A letter addressed to me?"

"Only you can determine where the cards fall, dearie. Do what you think is right."

Madame Foster took her leave while Berry was still looking at the envelope. It looked like a letter. It's not common for her to get mail, but she suddenly couldn't help but do a double take at the return address...Madame was right about time coming sooner than later.


	25. Chapter 25

The rest of the day carried out as if nothing had changed. Bloo managed to get some rest, but Mac suggested playing another game. Frankie's work had been piling up, so Wilt and the others offered to help. No one could make conversation in regards to what occurred this morning. It's not because they had anything to say, but it felt awkward to bring up without feeling guilty about Berry's attempt to make things right. She had been on their minds, however. They hadn't mustered up the courage to run after her before. They figured she needed time to herself, so they left it alone.

It began to become worrisome by Sunday, so they began talking again. No one had seen or heard from her. They had regret not going after her when they had the chance. They had regret not making amends right then and there. They had searched in places that she might've been and where they would least expect. Her bedroom looked as if it hadn't been slept in since the night before. Wilt asked Mr. Herriman if she had been adopted and didn't tell her friends, but there was no adoption status in her file. In the midst of all the searching, they didn't realize it was already evening. After dinner there was even a point where Bloo had gotten separated from the group. Returning back to the foyer, the group noticed him just sitting on the last flight towards the bottom. He remained concentrated on the front door. Knowing that he hadn't moved in quite some time, it was clear that he was deep in thought. Mac could see his friend wasn't in the brightest of moods.

"Hey, Bloo," he spoke. "How are you holding up?"

"I wish it was better than now," he answered. "My mind is lost, my heart's been in pieces…"

"You're not going to be too depressed to hang out anymore, are you? I can't afford to lose my best friend if I stop coming by."

"Nah...I'm sure to get over it by tomorrow. Sorry if I've been dragging you down."

"You haven't. Berry has been on all of our minds. We just hope she hasn't done anything reckless."

"If Cherry were to come back...how would we react?"

"That depends." Madame Foster spoke, as she was seen walking towards the stairs from the foyer. "You may not like what you see."

Huh? What did she mean? While the group spent a minute analyzing her response, they could hear the front door click. They couldn't tell whether Madame's sentence had the best timing, but they were surprised to see a familiar face beyond the door.

...Berry had returned. She didn't expect the other friends to be there, but managed to show a light smile.

"Oh, hey guys," she said. "I didn't think you'd be here."

"Are you kidding?" Frankie said. "We've all been worried about you! You've been gone more than a day and didn't tell anyone!"

"I know, but it was for a good reason. Plus, you would have talked me out of it if I said anything."

"A good reason?" Wilt asked. "Was it important?"

"It was…!" She looked to the floor. "But…"

"Well, come on now...out with it!" The blue friend starts to close the distance between them. He didn't expect for her to suddenly step aside. "You can't keep us wait-...!"

He had stopped in his tracks. She was standing behind her: a reddish-pink creature with large eyes and black pupils. A curl dresses the front of her head, whereas twin leaf-like tufts and a long, thin sprig of hair lines the top of her head defying gravity. The hourglass body matched Berry's in every way.

...Cherry was back, retaining her signature warm smile.

It seemed impossible, but she was standing before everyone. They all could see her. It was obvious that they weren't dreaming. Bloo continued to stare, but had to snap out of it.

"Is...Is that you…?" He questioned.

The pink friend looked at him.

"Hello." she answered.

"You're back…" He moved in to hug her. "I can't believe it...You're back!"

"...I'm sorry...Do I know you?"

Everyone except Berry was taken aback by that response. It caused Bloo to pull away from her.

"Huh? What do you mean? It's Bloo, remember?"

"I'm really sorry. I don't think we've met." This made the blue friend back up a bit more. "My name's Cherry by the way. Berry was right about the hospitality. I never thought I'd get a little welcome committee!"

No one had any idea what was going on. Why was Cherry acting like this? They had so many questions to ask, but it'd be awkward while she was here. Frankie couldn't handle the minor silence.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. It's not common for us to get new friends this late," she smiled, while walking up to her. "Welcome to Foster's. I assume you're looking for a home?"

"That's right," Cherry answered. "Sorry to intrude so late. I won't be of much trouble here...that is, if you'll have me."

"Of course! All friends are welcome! Come, let's get you registered first in Mr. Herriman's office and I'll give you a quick tour."

"On second thought, Frankie," Berry stepped in. "Mind if I give her the tour?"

"Oh, of course! I'll hand her over to you once we're done."

"Wonderful!" The pink friend looks at the others before following Frankie. "It's nice meeting all of you!"

The front door was closed after entering, but silence remained golden after Frankie left the foyer with Cherry.

"I can't believe it," Mac turned to Berry. "You managed to bring Cherry back...So this was why you left?"

"Coco coco coco? (You had a lead after all?)" Coco asked.

The magenta friend pulled out the envelope Madame had given her.

"I never thought there'd be a day that her creator would write to her," she answered. "If it weren't for the return address, then she might've been as good as gone."

"So she was able to reimagine her," the tall friend said. "Talk about luck..."

"It's good that Cereza is back," Ed said. "Her personality seems to be there…"

"But her memory…?"

They all determined it was wiped clean. Was this what Madame Foster meant? Not being happy with what they saw?

"As much as I wanted to tell her everything," Berry mentioned. "A part of me held back. I know that she's my sister, but I don't want her to feel uncomfortable around us."

The blue friend didn't feel like this was enough. The elderly owner had long ascended the stairs. He figured his only chances of getting answers as to why Cherry doesn't remember anyone would be related to her unusual response. It's likely she had retired to her room, so he took to the stairs. The others questioned where he was going, but he kept moving forward without a word. He couldn't determine what feelings were running through him. His mindset had completely changed. He was convinced to swing open the bedroom door but continued to bang on it.

"Madame Foster? Madame Foster!" He bellowed. "Are you in there?!"

"I'm here, dearie," she said softly. "Please, come in."

He did what was expected of him, entering with a face of irritation.

"Did you know this was going to happen!?" He shouted.

"Was what going to happen?" She asked

"About Cherry losing her memory! You knew this was going to happen didn't you!?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"Why would you say that we may not like what we see!?"

"Ah…" She adjusts her glasses. "Did you expect her to remember you?"

"What…? Of course I did! I mean...shouldn't she!?"

"Tell me: What did we lose when Cherry requested everyone to forget her?"

"Our memories."

"And what were we to expect when a brand new imaginary friend comes into light?"

"...You mean...they won't remember their past…?"

Madame shuffled over to a low table, decorated with group pictures consisting of many imaginary friends.

"Imagination is abundant. No matter where it comes from, it exists everywhere. Imaginary friends exist for a plethora of reasons: to know when to never hold back on our feelings; to know when to take a break when it's deserved; to know and remember what it means to have fun; to be open to their creators and share advice. Everything they've learned, watched, interacted and heard is what gives their personality life. Memories are everything to them while they exist. Memories are everything while they are still remembered. If they were to leave this world, they would be taking their memories with them. I was surprised that Cherry knew about that. I wished I knew where she had gotten the information...Perhaps maybe I would have convinced her otherwise."

The blue friend was still trying to process the information.

"...But was it worth it?" He began. "Was she happy to go out like she did? Even if she had mainly done it for her sister?"

Madame turned to him.

"The purpose of her disappearance was nothing but a lesson to Berry," she said. "But she wouldn't have gotten to this point if it weren't for you, Bloo."

"Me…?"

"It's getting late." She moves closer to him. "It isn't too late to create new memories, right?"

"Well, you're right, but…"

"I think it's as good a time as any to see Mac off. Let's not keep him waiting."

"Yeah…Sorry for the break in."

"Not at all. Have a great evening, dearie."

Upon closing the door behind him, just the thought of having to make new memories oddly made redness appear on his face.

"...Do I have to say it again…?"

"Everyone has a part to play," she says after he has left. "Unfortunately this is only the first step…"


	26. Chapter 26

Bloo made it back to the foyer still lost in thought, but he could tell that nothing had really changed since he left.

"Is Cherry still in the office?" He asked.

"Yeah," Mac answered. "You ran off in a hurry. Is everything okay?"

"More or less. Could be better."

"What do you mean?"

"About making new memories...It'll be the hardest thing to do."

"I'm sorry, Bloo, but, did you go talk to Madame Foster?" Wilt asked.

"Cereza has no way of getting back her memories…?" Ed worried.

"I...I don't know," the blue friend answered. "She's a brand new Cherry...different from what we remember. We can try to test those memories with her, but...it's unlikely that they will stick."

They see Frankie surface with the pink friend from the office. Her expression seemed normal on the surface, but Mac could tell she was hiding something underneath.

"We're happy to have you, Cherry," she said, before turning her head to Berry. "She's all yours."

"Great." The magenta friend looked at her sister. "Let's get you settled in first. My room has a spare bed!"

"Awesome," she answered, shortly greeting the others. "I hope to see the rest of you again soon!"

After they ascended upstairs and we're out of sight, Frankie couldn't help but sigh while rubbing the space between her eyes.

"Is everything okay, Frankie?" Mac asked.

"Yeah," she answered. "It's...going to be awkward moving forward. It's like our lives just got reset."

"Coco coco coco coco coco? (Would we even try to reminisce about the past?)" the bird friend questioned.

"I think we should just play it safe. We don't want her to think we're crazy, especially on her first day back." Mac was heading to the door. "Better head home. Got school tomorrow."

"Sorry that we couldn't play through story mode like we planned, Mac." Bloo said, scratching the back of his head.

"No worries, Bloo," the boy smiled. "This weekend has been hard on all of us. I'll see you guys tomorrow."

Upon closing the front door, more silence filled the area. It wasn't super late as it was past the dinner hour, so by then everyone kind of went their separate ways after sharing a few words. Now that Cherry is back, no one will know how the upcoming days will turn out.

Early Monday morning. The pink friend had opened her eyes to the ceiling. Small beams of light were seen shining through the bedroom's blinds, which was surprisingly enough to wake her without an alarm. Was her first day living life at Foster's. Seems pretty peaceful already, but the urge for being productive flowed through her body. She found herself glancing over at her roommate across the room still snoozing away. With a simple smile she had wanted to thank her, but she's in no rush to do that. Cherry quietly slides out of bed for a quick hygiene check before making her way downstairs.

She already knew where everything was because of last night's tour, but she was still fascinated by the colors and decor designs dressed throughout the walls. All the walking was quite the workout. Upon reaching the foyer she was about to enter the dining hall until she heard what sounded like someone struggling behind the front door. It was Frankie when she opened and closed it with her foot, carrying several stacked but unstable paper grocery bags. One of them began to fall over till Cherry moved in to catch it. Frankie couldn't really see who saved her due to a bag stacked in front of her face.

"Oh thank you," she said. "I didn't expect to see anyone up this early…"

"Were you planning to do this all in one trip? You could've hurt yourself, you know."

She nearly froze at the sound of a familiar voice.

"Is that you, Cherry?"

"The one and only," she smiled, putting down the one she saved before jumping to pull down the one blocking Frankie's vision. "Glad I was here in the nick of time. These were going to the kitchen, right?"

"Ah, yeah. Why are you up so early?"

"Excitement, I guess? It's my first day, so I probably couldn't wait to interact with the other imaginary friends."

"I see…" It still felt weird to be talking to her like they haven't met before. Trying not to bring up past memories is already a chore in itself. "Well, are you able to carry these to the kitchen then?"

"Certainly!"

Resting the bags on the kitchen island, the pink friend began to browse through what Frankie had purchased.

"You have a lot of breakfast ingredients in here," she commented. "Got something in mind?"

"More or less. I buy this much so that I don't have to shop as often. Before, it's been every day."

"No kidding...Doesn't that make you exhausted?"

"I'm always exhausted, but I'm used to it." She starts removing ingredients from the bags. "On top of caring for the other friends I've been doing this for years, so it's no problem."

"By yourself? That's awful…"

"Well, I do get friends like Wilt to help me once in a while. He's the very tall one from last night if you can remember."

"Ah, yes. I'm looking forward to talking to them again. They seem really nice."

"Yeah. Well I better get to work. Breakfast won't make itself."

"Um...Mind if I help?"

That question nearly stunned the teenager. She never expected it would feel like a deja vu, but she had to return to reality. She knows it's unintentional, but she worries about repeating history.

"Really? But I'm always handling the chores around here."

"I know that. You've had Wilt help you pretty often, so would it make a difference if I did the same?"

"You rather cook and clean instead of relax? I hardly ever come across friends exploiting those skills…"

"Then would you say you're glad that I came along?"

The teen was expected to give in after the friend's smile shot through her heart. It made her smile as well.

"Alright, alright," she shakes her head. "Just one condition: I'll call you whenever I ask for it, okay?"

"No problem!" Cherry scans through the ingredients.

"How about a silver dollar platter?"

"Silver dollar?"

"Mini pancakes. I can make multiple stacks in a short amount of time for service, but I'll need all the eyes on the stove to speed things up."

"You need all of them? Usually I need two for bacon."

"Use the oven. It will take some time, but can cook larger quantities without needing to flip them once."

"Really? That would definitely make things easier!"

"You have a lot of whole fruits and berries, too. We'll make the platters look extra pretty today!"

"Sounds good! I'm surprised, Cherry...How do you know all this?"

"Hmm...I'm not sure," she still continues to smile. "I'll just call it instinct. Now let's get the bacon onto sheet pans and into the oven at 450."

"Yes, chef!"

Cherry felt really alive to be here, even though it's her first day. Frankie shouldn't have had any doubt in the first place. Her appearance and personality were still the same, so was there much to miss? After the bacon was in the oven, she found it surprising that she could flip out batches of pancakes in half the time. Her organization was expedient, and that was one of the things the teen had missed.

But would she feel guilty if she was taken advantage of again? She remembered what the pink friend had said before...about how she wanted to help rather than have to. She had valued their friendship because she had another girl to relate to and talk with. She valued their friendship because she was finally able to make a living helping others. Her kindness...was boundless.

"Hey, Frankie!" Cherry called. "Do you need help with the fruit?"

It had only caused the teen to quit spacing out.

"No, I'm on it!" She smiled. "Didn't mean to space out."

Everything had soon been made and the breakfast platters were in order on the very tables just outside the kitchen doors. The initial cleaning before breakfast began was even a breeze...Cherry was just a natural and Frankie still can't believe she had missed this. The many imaginary friends entering were in awe by the spread and gladly helped themselves. Soon the chefs spotted Bloo and his friends entering the hall and preparing plates, and took the spare time to do the same and managed to sit with them. Cherry initiated her greetings while Bloo seemed so engrossed with the pancakes. Normally he'd be eating right now, but he just kept staring at them. It's been awhile since he's had pancakes after Cherry first left, but seeing them again did make him question:

"Are these...buttermilk?"

"That's an accurate guess!"

He nearly fell out of his chair due to being spooked by her voice. She had been sitting across from him, just like before. He couldn't determine how to really react, but it's not like she currently viewed him as boyfriend material. Regardless, he tried his best to hide the redness that spontaneously appeared.

"You sure know your pancakes," she continued, twirling the curl on her head. "I really hope everyone likes them. It's my first time making them here, so…feel free to critique me if you like. Oh, and Frankie handled the fruits and bacon."

She's not making it any easier on the blue friend showing her slight bashfulness. He was expecting to be red as a tomato by now before he made the plunge for one of the pancakes. The same sensation dazzled him once more like before. This must be a fluke. On top of it, Cherry was surprised to see a tear suddenly run down his face.

"What's wrong? Are you all right?" She asked him in worry.

"O-Oh...Sorry!" He wiped the tear off and smiled. "Just...haven't had something like this in a while. They're amazing."

"Well, I'm glad you like them." She smiles.

"So this is what you got up early for?"

Berry got down a few minutes later than the others and she found a seat next to Bloo still open, so she made her way there.

"Is your internal clock still on that early morning drive?"

"I told Frankie it must be excitement," she answered. "A first day means getting the chance to hang out with all of you, so I'm looking forward to that."

"You sure you don't want to take it easy?" Wilt asked.

"No way. The sooner I'm done here the better."

That's exactly what took place afterwards. When breakfast ended, she managed to hang out with all of them at different times of the day. The next couple days have been a similar routine, and everyone had admired her company. No matter what they were doing she was happy to join them, though Bloo still wasn't used to it. Her smile kept captivating him and he'd get flustered to the point of losing concentration in almost anything. It couldn't be explained as to why his feelings for her kept showing on the surface. Regardless, he knows that she doesn't feel the same way. Thinking about it only made him feel worse whenever she's not around. Despite always feeling conflicted, he was still happy.

The same feeling went for Berry. The hangouts have been helpful, as they were able to spend the most time together in years...not that this Cherry remembers. The pink friend was glad to learn more about Berry's talents and hobbies, and she was surprised that they had a lot in common. Spending time with her just felt...right.


	27. Chapter 27

"Hey, mind if I ask you something?"

"Um, sure. What is it?"

It was near bedtime, so Berry and Cherry were in their room, knitting a sweater and perusing a book respectively. The magenta friend signaled Cherry to sit beside her on her bed, so the pink one acknowledged it. Cherry was silent at first, as it seemed she was trying to gather her thoughts while the other ponders at what she might ask.

"Have you ever felt like it was destiny for us to be here?" She asked. "You know, like was this where I was meant to be?"

"I'm...not sure if I follow."

"Well, the days here have been memorable so far. Everyone has been so nice and happy that I help them. I've noticed you've been watching over me a lot, too, even giving me a lot of good advice."

"Oh? What made you think that?"

"I don't know...It's just," Cherry tussled with her tuft of hair. "The things you've done feel familiar, you know? I mean, our resemblance and mannerisms seems uncanny. We could easily pass off as twin sisters...fraternal, of course."

Berry's eyes had widened. Was she...starting to remember something? But didn't Madame Foster say that she wouldn't remember anything? She was a brand new Cherry recreated from the ground up. She shouldn't be having these thoughts. The magenta couldn't tell whether to be happy or angry from the confusion.

"Berry? Are you okay?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"You're...crying…"

Of course she would be...She's still torn about losing her original sister only to discover that the current one might have retained a small amount. It's not like she had a complete grasp over it all. Berry immediately shook her head.

"Oh...Sorry," she said, wiping the tears. "I had something in my eye."

"No, I should be sorry. I'm just being weird. Can't really explain this feeling that I have, so it's okay if you don't want to talk about it."

"Oh no, I don't think that at all! So you believe we could be sisters?"

"It's just a tiny hunch I've had. You...wouldn't mind at all if I call you one?"

"...Never," Berry pulls the pink friend in for a hug. "I would like that."


	28. Chapter 28

The next few days have almost felt pretty normal. Everyone was slowly getting used to the new Cherry despite having to make new memories. Others lowkey found it odd for her to call Berry a sister, even though they weren't sure if she was using the relative term. Regardless, she was a typical imaginary friend they could remember so well: she cooks, she cleans, she reads, and hangs out. Although she's recognized for these things, she doesn't have much to relate to certain situations. At least not like before. She was only able to build off of what she already knew, but there were occasions where she had developed very sound reasoning for their problems, and it was scary how accurate the answers were. To them they believed the old Cherry was still in there somewhere, but it's not looking like she was ever leaning towards was so focused on being careful not to bring up the past, but over time they've begun to become more lax about it. Things felt normal...but was it really?

Frankie had some time to spare to hang with Cherry one Friday morning after breakfast. They were in the recreation room playing with a giant Four in a Row floor game.

"Bloo did what?" Frankie asked Cherry to repeat herself while making the first move in the game.

"I don't know how he did it, but it was bizarre!" The pink friend began. "Yesterday I was walking by this room and he and Mac were playing the same game. When he spotted me he lost his balance and sent one of the pieces flying, causing a chain reaction that left the entire room in a mess!"

"Goodness...You must have had a field day cleaning it up."

"I didn't mind!" She laughed. "He's been like that a lot lately. I'm just glad no one was hurt."

"Well, it's always good to stay in high spirits." She soon changes the topic. "I gotta say, Cherry, these days with you have been pretty memorable. It's hard to think there wouldn't be a day where it's the opposite."

"I agree! I've don't so many things and it's already Saturday! And I've never seen you thankful to have more free time for yourself."

"Believe me when I say that you've been a lifesaver. I can admit that I've lost count at this point."

"Always happy to help whenever you need it! Although I am sorry that it's been a habit to help on a whim lately. Like that time where I helped plan a surprise party for Eduardo!"

"He nearly rammed headfirst into the cake we made because surprises aren't his forte. What about that scavenger hunt Coco did?"

"Or the time Wilt hosted that basketball tournament?"

"Or the time you and Bloo beat co-op mode in Galaxy Wars!"

...What? This whole time the two have been reminiscing in the recent memories, but…

"...But I've never played Galaxy Wars before." Cherry said.

It took the teen a few seconds to realize what she had said. She was so focused on trying to stay in line with the new Cherry that she had inadvertently blurted a piece of the past.

"O-Oh!" she fake laughed. "I-I meant to say Bloo and Mac! They were trying their hands at co-op mode pretty late at night. Pretty sure you had turned in."

"...I see." She paused while placing a piece into the game. "I bet they had fun…"

"...Huh?"

It was odd to see her mood suddenly drop. It was like she became lost in thought about something…

"Cherry? Was it something I said?" She asked.

"Oh no...I'm fine! Sorry...I must have spaced out."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah…"

"Be honest..."

"Okay...then could you...be honest with me?" The pink friend looked at her sincerely. "...Do you think I'd be good at that game?"

Frankie never expected that question. She was mainly worried that she would've asked about her past, but it might be dangerous to have her take in so much information in one sitting. The teen wouldn't know how it might affect her. She's still Cherry, but not the one she remembered. Would she even be ready to know her past? Either way, she was thankful the cover wasn't blown.

"...It's a pretty tactical-based game," she replied. "Give or take a few tries, I'm sure you'll get the hang of it."

"You think so?"

"Yeah," she smiled. "You'll be all right. Bloo has been playing it for the longest time, but surely he'll show you the ropes."

"I see," Cherry smiled. "I'll be sure to give it a try. Thanks, Frankie."

"...Anytime."

"On another note, I do appreciate the four in a row."

Frankie had been so engrossed in the conversation she had paid no mind to the game. The realization made her sigh due to the loss, but it was a good one.

"I hope that wasn't a ploy to distract me."

"I'll leave that to your imagination."


	29. Chapter 29

After lunch, the pink friend happened to wander towards the arcade room. Frankie said that Bloo spends the majority of his days there, only playing through the Galaxy Wars arcade mode since it came out. She has seen him play through the levels before, but this time thinking about it felt...familiar. She couldn't figure out why, but wondered whether Frankie's misconstrued memory sparked something. It wasn't like Cherry had ever told her about what she was really thinking. Thoughts of Bloo had been vaguely swamping her mind, but nothing unusual had stood out. The room was at an average capacity, but the blue friend was where the teen had mentioned. She watched silently while he remained focused on a level. Eventually his spacecraft had met its demise.

"Oh man!" He said while being slightly irritated. "Halfway through the same level and that one aphelion ship gets me every time! Come on, Bloo...get it together!"

"You sure the R-600 was fit for the job?"

He nearly jumped from the beanbag chair, only to notice Cherry leaning over the back of the empty chair beside him. He glanced at her, but still averted his eyes shortly after.

"C-Cherry! I...didn't see you there."

"It's my fault that I spooked you," she smiled. "But I also didn't want to distract you."

"Yeah...well, I appreciate that. So, what brings you here?"

"...Just curious." She moves to sit in the empty chair. "I've never played this game before, so I thought I could give it a try."

"Really?" He looked at her. "You want to learn to play?"

"I've always been watching." She looks away. "Don't call me crazy, but I've gotten word that I might be good at it…"

As seconds of silence went by, she returned her gaze at him.

"...You don't think so?"

"N-No! I don't think that at all!" He straightened out and smiled. "I didn't know you'd be interested, but I can teach you. It'll be easy!"

She smiled.

"Then I'll be in your hands."

The blue friend switched to the practice mode and passed the controller to her. He explained the basic controls and general strategies that will help combat enemies, depending on the character and ship she chose. After only five minutes it stunned Bloo by how fast she was picking things up.

"I'm impressed!" He complimented. "You're even faster than when I taught Berry!"

"You think so?"

"You sure it's not muscle memory?"

"Well…"

She didn't know how to answer that question. She figured it'd be a fluke more than anything, but hearing that she caught on quicker than her sister was a surprise. She didn't even know why she insisted on doing this after talking to Frankie. Just what hypothesis was she trying to test? Either way, the practice was starting to get repetitive.

"Hey, want to try out co-op?" He asked.

"Huh? Do you think I'm up to it?"

"I think you know what you're doing well enough. Care to take things up a notch?"

"...Ready when you are."

It's been around two hours since they began co-op together. Both of them were watching out for each other, attacking and defending whenever necessary. Bloo would sneak a glance at Cherry on occasion, feeling happy that she was doing exceptional enough to advance them forward. Both would sometimes react with the same expressions, only to fill the room with plentiful laughter. Sometimes even the pink friend would glance in his direction. He was always flustered around her before, but he had slowly grown more accustomed after the first few levels. Eventually his eyes met hers, matching smiles and all.

"You're really good at this!" He said. "You sure you haven't played this game before?"

"Trust me. I wouldn't have gone through practice mode for nothing."

But that's just it. She couldn't put her finger on it, but the scenery she was in felt somewhat familiar. Sitting beside him felt more than just fun...It felt right.

"If that's the case, then maybe you could try your hands at the previous games! The story modes are fantastic!"

"Have you played the story mode for this one?"

The blue friend paused for a few seconds.

"Ah...no, I haven't yet," he answered. "The game's been out for weeks, too, but I've just been hooked on the arcade and co-op modes."

"Wouldn't you want to play these games for the story?"

"I do, but…" He looks to the floor while scratching the back of his head.

"Bloo? Is something holding you back…?"

"...There is," he looked back at her, revealing saddened eyes. "But it wouldn't make sense if I told you…"

It wouldn't make sense…?

"Hey, Bloo!"

The two friends' expressions changed immediately after they heard Mac enter the arcade with his usual backpack and a duffel bag.

"Hey, Mac!" The blue friend returned. "You're here early!"

"Yeah. We were watching a documentary and it happened to end fifteen minutes early, so he gave us an early start for the weekend. Gave me plenty of time to head home to pack a duffel bag to stay over." He noticed Cherry as he moved closer to the beanbag chairs. "Oh, hey, Cherry! Trying out Galaxy Wars?"

"Oh, yeah," she answered, trying her best to maintain a smile. "It's really fun! I should've tried playing sooner!"

"Yeah, she's a natural, Mac!" Bloo cuts in. "You should see her play in co-op!"

"Actually, I'm going to take a break for now. I should think about the dinner plans." Cherry gets up and hands Mac the controller. "Care to fill in for me?"

"Sure thing." The boy turns to Bloo. "Will this be the weekend that we can play through the story mode?"

"I sure hope so! Just let me know when you'll be stopping by tomorrow!"

As she approached the exit, she didn't understand why Bloo would say that if he's been holding out from playing story mode for weeks...Was he really telling the truth? Was he forcing himself so that she wouldn't need to worry? Was he holding out because of her? Regardless she felt curious as to what he meant from before, but she didn't want to bring it up while his friend was here. It was weird. Something was tugging on her heartstrings, but not in a good way. The thought of it was making her head split. She couldn't explain it, but she felt the need to get out of there quickly. She had to run. She didn't know where she could go, but it just had to be far from the arcade.

Just...far from him.

She wasn't even focused on what could be in her path as she dashed down the hallway, not realizing that she ran past her other three friends. They all called out to her and she heard, but she didn't stop. She just kept her head down. At some point she would have to explain herself, but now wasn't the time. Knowing them, they're going to mouth their concerns to the others in the arcade.


	30. Chapter 30

It was getting closer to dinner time. Frankie and Berry had entered the kitchen in mid-conversation discussing possible dinner ideas, only to notice Cherry not in the brightest of moods. This was most likely the first time she had ever not been in high spirits: sitting at one of the island chairs with her head down.

"Sister!?" The magenta friend called before running up to her. "What's wrong? Have you been there the entire time?"

"We hardly ever see you like this," the teen followed. "Is everything all right?"

"That depends," she answered. "It's not like me to feel like this…"

"What do you mean?"

"Lately a lot of things have begun to feel familiar to me, but probably not in the way you might think. It may sound crazy, but I really have to ask." She lifts her head to look at them. "I'm...not the Cherry you remember, am I…?"

For what felt like minutes, the teen and magenta friend looked at her showing a sullen face. The fact that they didn't say anything now meant they shouldn't have any intent to lie. This was something they never thought they should reveal to Cherry, but now that she's pining for it...

"...No," Frankie replied. "She had left us weeks ago."

"What do you mean? As in, she was adopted? Did she run away?"

The two explained everything to her. They explained at most of what they remembered from their perspectives: Her personality, her mannerisms, her hobbies, and her interactions around others...all up to how she had disappeared from this world. The news was staggering to hear, but the pink friend worked to take it all in.

"So…" she began. "That's why you all have been acting a bit awkward around me."

"Did we really come off like that to you?" Frankie asked.

"I had a hunch for the longest time, but I couldn't connect it with anything then."

"What made you want to look for answers?" Berry asked.

The pink friend glanced at the countertop.

"...Bloo said something strange when we were in the arcade," she started. "He said the reason why he had been against playing the story mode to the new Galaxy Wars was because he believed I wouldn't understand if he told me. But why would he tell Mac something completely different? Am I not allowed to know? I'm his friend too, right?" She looked at them. "Do you know the reason why?"

"Well," Frankie said. "The truth is-..."

"We don't know the reason."

The teen was cut off by Berry.

"He never told us. There were times where I would try to ask, but he ended up avoiding the question. But if I were to guess...it may have something to do with you."

"I see…" Cherry said. "Are you...able to tell me more about him?"

Frankie and Berry exchanged glances, but Berry nodded to pass the teen the mic.

"Bloo is...quite the character," she began. "He's known to be very clever, self-centered, naive and childish. There's hardly ever the type to care for others, but since you first came into his life, he had changed. He became modest of you, considerate of you, respectful of you...With you here, he had a reason to…"

"A reason to?" The pink friend asked.

The magenta friend looked down to pause and returned her gaze shortly after.

"...A reason to exist. That's what I could gather."

"And Frankie?"

"...Her statement checks out," the teen nodded. "I hope this helps."

"Yeah...Thanks for being honest," Cherry sighed. "Sorry if I've brought you all down."

"It's okay, really...We were only worried that you might view us differently because we hid these memories from you. It was my fault for the slip of the tongue earlier. I'm really sorry for the mishap…"

"No, it's okay. I'm glad you told me."

"Hey, why don't we order pizzas tonight?"

The sisters perked up to the sudden idea.

"Huh? But I was hoping we'd all work on dinner together…" Cherry responded.

"You've been cooking all week, Cherry. Although our previous conversation sent you through a ride, you could use a break."

The pink friend smiled slightly.

"Yeah...I guess you're right."

"Go take a load off, sis," Berry insisted. "Well handle things from here."

"Thanks, Berry."

Perhaps taking a break might do her some good. She decides to head up to her room to avoid other interactions.

"I don't understand," Frankie asked Berry. "Why did you stop there? Didn't she have a right to know?"

"I wanted her to figure things out on her own," she replied. "As much as she deserves to know what Bloo has been hiding, if she really wants to get those memories back, she'd have to keep digging. She's gotten this far, so I'm hoping she'll get the awaiting conclusion."

Frankie couldn't help but smile.

"That's smart, for a jealous but caring sister."

"...I'll pretend that you didn't say that. By the way, are you able to order the pizzas?” “Sure. Got something to do?” “Just need some closure on something, or rather, someone. I’m guessing that Bloo is in the arcade?” “Yeah. Will you be back with the handling?” “Yeah. This won’t take long.” 


	31. Chapter 31

Cherry lied on her bed only to stare at the ceiling. Finding out that another version of her existed prior to herself was an eye opener. That's why everyone wasn't acting fully genuine. But even back then, she didn't pay any mind to it. She was oblivious to notice because those times felt real to her. If the old Cherry was here, what would change? Would everyone stop acting awkward around her?

"...Was it even possible to bring the old one back?" She said to herself. "That's the one everyone wants…"

"And what of you, dearie?"

A familiar voice was heard from outside her door. An elderly voice.

"Are you saying you don't matter?"

"Madame Foster? She goes to open the door. "Were you just passing by?"

"You could say that," she smiled. "May I come in?"

"Oh, yes! Of course! Would you like some tea and madeleines? Would Earl Grey be okay?"

"Tea and madeleines? I can never say no to that!"

The room had a couple additions since she moved in. The main one was a wooden circle table with four matching chairs. Atop of the table was a tea set. On Cherry's side of the room, she had a small floor cabinet against the wall at her bedside, which was packed with assorted teas and freshly made snacks she had baked the other day in her spare time. The top of the cabinet was a micro fridge for cream, and an electric water kettle that she soon used to steep the tea leaves within the teapot before serving along with the madeleines.

"Care for any cream and sugar?" She asked.

"One sugar cube is fine. Thank you."

The pink friend sat across from her and was content with seeing Foster quietly indulge in the aroma as she sips the tea. It was like she hasn't had good tea in ages.

"My apologies for eavesdropping earlier," she began. "I was just curious about your thoughts regarding your stay. Are you dissatisfied?"

"I...really don't know," the friend glanced at her reflection in the tea. "I'm glad that everyone has welcomed me with open arms, but knowing that there was a Cherry before me got me thinking. Am I any different? Were they trying to mold me to be more like her? Do I have what it takes to take after her just to make them happy? Am I...just a replacement?"

The elderly woman took seconds to replay those words within her head.

"Tell me, dearie," she started. "Have you experienced thoughts related to your past self the more you've interacted with the ones closest to you?"

Cherry never thought she would hear such a question.

"What do you mean?" She asked, looking at her.

"Take Berry for example. What made you want to refer to her as your sister?"

"It's because, well...I really don't know how it came up. It's just that our appearances and mannerisms are so alike, that after a while I started feeling like it was right. I started believing that this was how it should be."

"Are you familiar with the term deja vu?"

"Deja vu?"

"The feeling of already experiencing a present situation. What interactions have caused you to experience this phenomenon?"

"Well...my last interaction with Bloo at the arcade did spark something like that. I kinda was at my happiest playing alongside him. A part of me wanted to get closer, but…" She looked down. "He said something that made me wonder if I was the one holding him back."

"What was it?"

"The reason as to why he had been against playing story mode in Galaxy Wars. There was so much opportunity to play it on his own accord, but why would he say I wouldn't understand if he told me? Am I not trustworthy...?"

"...Sounds like he's been waiting."

This made Cherry change her gaze to her.

"Waiting…?"

"The fact that you've gotten this far astounds me, Cherry," she smiled, taking another sip. "Why else has it been difficult for Bloo to interact the more you're around him?"

He...had been waiting on her?

The thought made an unexpected pain shoot through her head. Foster asked if she was okay, and the pink friend responded that she had nothing to worry about.

"Has this helped at all?" She asked.

"It's not much to go on," Cherry answered, revealing a smile. "But it's a start. Thank you."

"You're welcome, dearie. Now drink up before your tea gets cold."

They moved onto general chat till the teapot was empty.

***

The magenta friend was headed up to the arcade. During the trek through the halls she had multiple thoughts running through her head. It wasn’t anything particularly bad, but it’s been in the back of her mind for awhile. Upon entering the arcade Bloo and Mac were seen playing Galaxy Wars in Co-Op mode. They’ve gotten pretty far till their in-game lives were reduced to nothing. Anger after many retries easily transforms into laughter. That’s just how games are supposed to be.

“Wow, you guys got pretty far that time.” She spoke.  
“Oh, hey, Berry,” Mac said. “Here to spectate?”  
“Only waited till you finished. Mind if we talked for a bit?”  
“You want to talk to my buddy?” Bloo said in surprise, before narrowing his brows and shot a glare at Mac. “I’d be careful. Make sure she doesn’t plan on getting you to adopt her!”  
“Relax, Bloo,” Mac reassured. “I’m pretty sure that’s not the reason.”  
“Aren’t you past that phase anyway?” Berry asked.  
“See? Even she gets it. We’ll be right back.”

The two stepped out into the hallway and silence filled the air. The boy wondered whether he should ask what all of this was about, as Berry leaned against the wall twiddling her hands.

“You wanted to talk to me about something?” Mac asked.  
“...Yeah.” She answered, keeping her eyes on her hands.  
“Well? What is it?”  
“Well...It’s…”

She couldn’t explain why she was having a hard time spitting it out. Mac simply crossed his arms due to the prolonged waiting. After a while longer he began to turn around to move toward the arcade entrance.

“I’m going to go back if you’re just going to waste my time.”  
“I just...wanted to apologize.”

He stopped in his tracks. Did she really say that? He had to turn back around.

“What did you say?”  
“I said I’m sorry, Mac,” she said, looking at him. “I...haven’t been the best imaginary friend to be around, especially since my first visit.”

He never expected her to talk this way. She was always remembered for being obsessive and pushy. She always had a sweet shell until it broke open.

“You’re not trying to play me, are you?” He jumped. “Trying to redeem yourself after what you’ve done to your sister? Shouldn’t you be saying this to her instead?”  
“What good would that be right now if she doesn’t remember? Besides, I know you’ve been hiding it.”  
“Hiding what?”  
“...About how you’ve viewed me up to this point.”

The past may be the past, but it was something the boy couldn’t forget. He didn’t expect her to enter that territory. The response did cause him to change his tone.

“...How did you know?” He questioned.  
“I’m not oblivious, Mac,” she said, looking at the floor. “We both want what’s best for Bloo and Cherry, but I can’t get by like this and expect to have a clear conscience. That’s why I wanted to see if we could start over.”  
“You know you’re asking for too much.”  
“I know that, but it was worth a try, right?” She took a deep sigh before returning her gaze at him with a slight smile. “Well, I’ll let you go. Thanks for hearing me out. Pizzas should be here soon, so I better go help Frankie.”

“...I’m sorry, too.”

His words caught her as she had only made a few steps down the hall.

“You weren’t the best to interact with at first. I was even more surprised about how you handled it when your sister came into view. I know we all like Bloo, but we shouldn’t have to fight for his attention. There’s only one of him, we just have to respect that.”

He had a point. To Bloo, Berry’s feelings have always been one-sided. Demanding to be noticed was never the right way to go. Pushing others aside wasn’t fair to them. The fact that she did the same to Cherry made her feel terrible...and that was why she worked to get her back.

“Seeing what you’ve done now has got me thinking,” the boy began. “Do you truly want to change for good?”

There was never a “no” that came across her mind.

“...I do.” She turned to him. “I’d be willing to do that...if it meant we could get along better.”

Mac smiled.

“You sure that’s not your honesty showing?”  
“Trust me,” she returns a smile. “It’s something I’m still working on.”

The blue friend couldn’t help but be an eavesdropper. Despite not being aware of Berry’s actions to Mac in the past, it was worth knowing that the skepticisms about her have vanished.


	32. Chapter 32

There was still less than an hour prior to dinner starting, so Cherry took some time to stroll the home after Madame Foster had excused herself. She first stood atop the final flight of stairs before the foyer. The longer she stared, the longer she couldn't help but develop this familiar feeling. Images of her interactions with Bloo suddenly appeared, but none of which were from her current memory. Thoughts of their first meeting, confrontations of being bullied, and making amends had crossed her mind, which sent another shooting pain through her head. But there was something else: He appeared captivated while watching her skate. Hasn't she cleaned the foyer in that fashion recently? The blue friend had even watched her then. It was apparent that a lot of their interactions had taken place here, let alone the dining hall.

Pizzas were probably in the process of being delivered by this time as she entered the hall. She could still hear Frankie and Berry chatting it up in the kitchen. The more she glanced at the table, she could pick up thoughts of their Galaxy Wars conversation, and the unexpected willingness to help her clean. Another pain came and went, but it still left her with no answers.

Upon reaching the library, she caught thoughts of his initial naivety about her, a conversation venting her concerns to Coco...and also his kindness after their friendship bloomed. More pain came to the surface. What did these thoughts mean? Why were they so vivid in comparison to past deja vu moments? At this point she only wanted the headaches to end. Perhaps she was in too deep and figured it wasn't worth mentally overworking her brain. It was out of the question to even flock to the arcade...

"Hey, Cherry!"

She perked up to the voice of a familiar tall friend, calling as Eduardo and Coco followed behind him.

"Where have you been, Cereza?" Ed wondered.

"Coco coco coco coco, (You ran off in a hurry earlier,)" the bird friend said. "Coco coco coco? (Is everything all right?)"

"Oh, yeah, everything's fine," she smiled slightly. "I didn't mean to run off like that. I remembered I had something urgent to do, so it's been taken care of."

"Well that's a relief," Wilt smiled. "We were worried that you might've been upset about something."

"Upset?"

"Yeah. Bloo believed you were upset with him, so he had been looking for you."

"Bloo has?"

"There you are, Cherry!"

Bloo and Mac were seen coming up the opposing end of the hall. Cherry knew what it meant to be flustered, but this time the blue friend seemed to no longer carry that appearance since their arcade hangout. He looked collected, but still showed concern.

"Sorry about earlier," he said. "I'm willing to explain myself if you want to know why I said that..."

She couldn't figure out why her heartstrings were getting slightly tugged on.

"Oh, it's no big deal," She pushed herself to say. "I'm sure you have your reasons, so I'm not going to pry."

Something about that answer...didn't feel genuine to him, but he shrugged it off.

"Cool. So I heard we're getting pizzas! Gotta be there for the first slice!"

Cherry was somewhat happy to see him in good spirits, but she never thought there'd be a day where she felt anxious around him for once.


	33. Chapter 33

It's been a couple hours since dinner ended. The group still found it unusual for Cherry to have eaten and left before them. She had barely made any contribution to the conversations. She had been mostly silent, eating while avoiding eye contact with them. Normally she'd stay after to help with the clean up, but she didn't even do that. Maybe whatever she had that was important to do wasn't done yet? They didn't have a lot to go on after Frankie and Berry released info about Cherry's past personality, and the need to let her figure things out on her own. The blue friend offered to look for her, just to check if she was okay. If he wasn't back within an hour, then they would meet them at the arcade.

It's believed that Bloo was no longer nervous around her. Perhaps this period of having feelings for her had finally decimated after their arcade meetup. It didn't stop him from worrying about her, however. She was hardly ever the type to keep her distance or hide. He strolled by the arcade: she wasn't there. He stopped by the library: she wasn't there. At some point he didn't realize he had arrived at the sisters' room with the intent to knock, but maybe it was only a waste of time. She'd talk to him when she's ready, right? He'd better take off before-...

"...Bloo?"

He nearly jumped. Hearing that familiar voice was the last thing he wanted to hear. Wait...what made him think that? Didn't he conclude that he was over her? She was coming up the hallway with a book clutched in her arms.

"Oh, hey," the blue friend said. "I was wondering where you went off to."

"Just to the recreation room," she answered. "I left a library book there the other day, so I went to get it. Did...you want to talk about something?"

"Ah...no. I was just curious. Sorry about that." He began to turn away. "I'll get out of your hair, so have a good night."

"...Wait."

He stopped right away, noticing that the pink friend had averted her gaze to the floor.

"Lately, the past few days have felt different than what I'm used to. I didn't think anything of it, so I just shook it off. After playing with you today, what you said in the arcade really got me thinking."

"What do you mean?"

"...That there was a past me."

Since Bloo already knew about her discovery from Frankie and Berry, he wasn't surprised.

"For a while I've been picking up memories of her," she continued. "Since then, I've been trying to figure out what they mean and why I've been having them. It's why I sought after you for help…"

Seeing her hurting face...suddenly made a shade of pink on his face return. Wait a second...He was sure that those feelings were gone, so why was he acting like this?

"Bloo," she looked at him. "Are you able to tell me what these memories mean?"

The blue friend's pinkness instantly became red, so he tried to turn away to hide his face.

"Why...are you blushing?" She asked.

"It's just…" He had tightened his hands into fists and groaned. "Why is it even harder to tell you a second time!?"

"A second...time? What are you talking about?"

"...You wouldn't understand. It shouldn't make any sense...You had forgotten everything. How could you remember me…?"

The pink friend glanced at the floor.

"I wish I could understand. I've talked with Madame Foster earlier. It made me think that you're the only lead I have."

That caught him by surprise.

"The more I think about it, the more my head feels like it's going to explode," she looked at him. "Please, Bloo...I don't have any other options..."

The hall was silent for what felt like minutes had flown by. The blue friend was super anxious. Of course he had no way of assessing the situation when put on the spot like this. He can't escape his feelings at this rate. It only made him slowly turn his back against her, which made Cherry believe she had gotten the hint and return her gaze to the floor.

"...Sorry," she said quietly, clutching the book even tighter. "I'm such an idiot for pushing you like this. Surely it's been hurting all of you since I arrived here, and I'm a fool for not realizing it if I bring it up. Maybe I'm better off not knowing...because I'm not her. I know I can't be like her, so why do I feel guilty? Do I even have a place here…?"

She sighed, before moving towards the bedroom door.

"I appreciate you for hearing me out, but forget I said anything. Sorry if I wasted your time."

Hearing her say those words reminded him of when he first apologized to her. Why would she be sorry...when it wasn't really her fault?

"...Wait." He said.

The pink friend paused before her door.

"Seeing you suffer like this...it's already hard for me to keep bearing."

"What do you mean?" She asked, turning to him.

"How I really feel about you…" He turned to her. "I thought that my feelings would have faded since you left us, but...they had only gotten stronger when you came back."

His hands were still in fists.

"I...I don't know if I can do anything to return you to normal!"

Cherry couldn't determine how to solve this either, but it didn't stop her from trying to help. She rested her book beside the wall before grabbing one of his hands.

"Then don't hesitate to try it again."

"Huh…?"

"Please...do whatever you think will fill in these blanks."

"You...won't freak out?"

"It's okay," she smiled. "I trust you."

"...It's hard enough just to say it, so please...close your eyes."

"Alright."

Doing what she was told, it was obvious the blue friend felt nervous. Was she kidding about trusting him? How would she react afterwards? But he noticed that her hands remained calmly wrapped around his, as if it was a normal reflex. Perhaps she knew something was normal about this from the beginning, and that made his nerves vanish.

He immediately leaned in, pressing his lips against hers. The kiss was short and light, but he was still hesitant about it. But the pink friend didn't freeze. When they parted she had opened her eyes, touching her lips in response to them tingling from the sensation. The blue friend wasn't sure what she could be thinking next. He was ready to back out until he noticed her smile.

"...It feels so familiar." She replied.

Bloo was surprised.

"Please...do it again."

"Are you sure…?"

"Yes...I trust you."

Their lips collided once more. The touch was still light, but became more passionate. The blue friend felt more comfortable this time, and it didn't take long for things to click. He soon found his arms wrapped around her waist, and hers found support around the back of his head. They parted after a short while, resting their foreheads against each other as they blushed. They never thought this feeling could get so far, but the fact that Cherry smiled immediately after made everything clear.

"I can't believe I had forgotten this…" she spoke.

"Is that really you?" He asked. "You remember everything?"

"Everything...from when I arrived up to being forgotten. I really owe you so much for helping me. When I was slowly picking up the pieces, I couldn't figure out what they meant before. I could guess...that it had to do with how close you all have been to me. My heart seemed to remember, so all this time it was waiting for my mind to catch up."

"That's great news," Bloo replied. "You really had me worried there…"

"So," she began. "It's harder for you to say it a second time?"

Bloo's face changed to the color of a tomato.

"O-Of course it is!" He answered, looking away. "You have no idea how much I've been trying to hold back my feelings around you...I was convinced that you'd be gone forever…"

"Then would you consider this a do-over?"

"A do-over…?"

"Care to tell me again? Now that my life is no longer at stake?"

"That depends," his redness had calmed down so he could return his gaze to her, showing a smile. "It probably won't be as strong, since I've been waiting so we could finally play story mode together."

Cherry's eyes widened.

"You've...been waiting for me…?"

"Remember when I walked you back to your room before? I almost said it, but it wouldn't be as fun if I played without you."

She didn't expect her face to suddenly be flushed, causing her to look down.

"Y-You...didn't have to do that for me…!" She stuttered.

"I know," he said, pecking the top of her head. "Gave me the perfect opening to catch you by surprise."

"A perfect opening…? For what?"

"...I love you, Cherry."

He was right about that, as it made her bury her face into his chest. The blue friend only continued to repeat the saying, stamping a light kiss atop her head each time. It was cute for him to be able to see this side of her, as she has never gotten this flustered. She slowly craned her head to look at him, still as red as she can be.

"You're so unfair…" She said quietly.

That only made their lips connect once more.


	34. Chapter 34

The group continued to wait in the foyer, almost close to an hour's time. They didn't realize that the group slowly became swamped with other friends as they waited. They too were worried about Cherry. Madame Foster and Mr. Herriman were also there for support. Mac in particular was convinced to head up the stairs until he spotted two figures reach the bottom before the last flight. Both were smiling, hand in hand as they descended.

"Cherry…?" He spoke, causing the other friends to turn to his voice. "Is that really you?"

"The one and only," the pink friend smiled. "It's so good to see everyone."

"Didn't think so many people would be worried!" Bloo said in surprise.

"Of course we would be!" Wilt answered. "There's no way we could forget memories like this!"

"Si!" Ed followed. "Cereza taught me courage!"

"Coco coco coco coco! (And that you're an amazing friend!)" the bird friend said cheerfully.

The teen rushed to the pink friend and knelt to her.

"I'm so glad you're back," she said. "I knew the old you was in there somewhere."

"Happy to be back," Cherry answered. "I did say that it was possible to bring me back. Although...it must've been a scare for my memories to not follow. I do appreciate all of you for helping me along."

"That couldn't be helped. The important thing is that we'll have plenty more memories to make. Even Madame Foster would agree. Right, grandma?"

"Absolutely!" The elder lady moves closer with her cane. "Everything you've done for us here has been a blessing!"

"So you call working her into the ground a blessing?" The rabbit intervened. "You know she's easily taken advantage of!"

"Oh enough with the cover ups, Herriman," she pokes her cane into his chest. "You're telling me that it wasn't you who made her your personal assistant and guard your carrot stash?"

Hearing carrot made him realize his guilt and noticeably clear his throat while straightening his jacket.

"What I meant to say, is that we're always open to your hospitality, Cherry."

The only friend that has yet to say anything was her sister. Knowing that her memories have returned, it's unbeknownst to her of how she would react when she sees her face. All worries aside, the magenta friend still makes an effort to walk up to her. She didn't have much to say, but still managed to wring out a smile when they made eye contact.

"Welcome back, sis," she said. "...I hope you don't plan on leaving us anytime soon."

"...Thank you, sis," Cherry smiled. "I don't plan on it."

"I think a little shindig is in order, wouldn't you say?" Foster pops the question to everyone within the lobby. "It doesn't have to be big, but I think it's worth it for tomorrow evening!"

"Well I'm definitely not against it," the pink friend laughed. "But sure! I'm down!"

The crowd bursted into cheer as the rest of the evening had already felt like a party.

Saturday had finally rolled around. A party was planned for the evening and the whole house was excited. Planning was a cinch for Frankie and the others. Everyone who had willfully acknowledged Cherry's return last night insisted on helping, so completing everything was finished in record time. Even with the pink friend leading the organization, the friends were happy with her fairness in delegation. Much to her surprise, even Bendy apologized and offered to lend a hand. He didn't feel grateful, but every good deed helped. By then it wasn't even noon. After lunch it left everyone with a lot of free time, and usual routines occurred till the party began. Her closer friend circle gathered to finally play through the story mode of Galaxy Wars. Even her sister was there to watch on the sidelines for support.

During the preparations, Berry was happy to help. Each passing hour, she didn't feel eager enough to assist. One minute the sisters would make fun conversation while working together, and soon she would feel guilty the next. The same feeling kept returning the more she had a moment to return her gaze whenever her sister talked. Cherry is certain they were to remain together for years to come, but she couldn't shake this feeling. A feeling of hopelessness, worthlessness…and feeling unwanted. Up until the party, it's all been very tough to hide.


	35. Chapter 35

Food, drinks, music, games and socializing swarmed the foyer and dining hall as evening came around. Many friends have gathered for the little celebration. The dress code was casual, so many came in as they are. There were even plentiful dance routines and prizes lined up to maximize the fun.

About an hour in, after some minor searching, the pink friend noticed that her sister had been missing in action. She couldn't really guess where she might've gone, but their bedroom was going to be her first stop. She hurried there after letting her friends know.

Berry shouldn't even have a need to feel the way she does, and yet it's been pretty persistent. Her heart had just been empty since her sister's memories returned. She was eager to help her back before, but why would she be feeling like this? Shouldn't she be happy for her? She sighed as she gazed intently at their first portrait together before placing the frame face down on her nightstand.

"...Hope they'll have fun for me." She said quietly.

"What do you mean?"

The familiar voice nearly spooked her.

"Cherry…?"

"You're missing the games downstairs!" She began opening the door. "You helped out, so at least partake in-...!"

The picture frame on the nightstand was the only thing that made her side practically vacant. Two small suitcases rested atop of her bed.

"...Sis? What's going on?" The pink friend asked as she entered. "Why are all of your things packed?"

"...Think it's best for me to take off," she answered, avoiding eye contact. "I honestly didn't expect you to find me so soon."

"Of course I had to look for you. You disappeared after the start of the party! Please tell me...Why are you leaving us? ...Why are you leaving me?"

"...You have everything you could ever want here, Cherry," she looked at her. "You've said it yourself before your past memories returned. You felt that it was destiny to be here. Outside of home, I've never seen you shine so much. I've never seen you so happy in this element, and...I can't help but always be jealous of that."

Cherry continued to listen in silence.

"You've been remembered for so many things: resourceful, kind, dependable, and super talented. But me? Remembered for being obsessed, getting whatever I wanted, and casting others aside for my own personal gain." She looked down. "It had always been about me...and there's nothing good about that. I mean...what redeeming qualities could I possibly have?"

"...Respect."

The magenta friend glanced at her.

"You are respectful, intuitive, ambitious and fearless. The fact that you allowed Bloo to choose me after my return was respect. The fact that you've been looking out for me on my road to remembering who I was meant to be was intuition. The fact that you went great lengths to bring me back shows ambition. The fact that you fought through the consequences of your past actions in an attempt to redeem yourself proves that you're fearless. All of those things prove that you really care a lot about me."

Berry sighed.

"...But why do I find that a problem?" She asked. "When I had lost my memories before, I had believed this was the chance for me to redeem myself. This was the chance that I could actually start over and hope others would think I'm deserving of being the "Sweetest Girl in the World." But Mac and Madame Foster had to remember...and then everyone else followed."

"If that was your goal, why did you go out of your way to bring me back?"

"Because…" she paused. "...Because I hated seeing Bloo in pain! I always wanted to protect his smile! I always wanted to protect his oblivious nature! I didn't want anyone else to have him but me!"

Cherry didn't expect her sister to suddenly escalate, let alone notice tears slide down her face as she slowly approached her.

"I've worked so hard to please him...I've worked so hard to make him notice me enough that something would finally spark! But he's an idiot! He was too dense to see that in me!" She sobbed, resting her hands on Cherry's shoulders to lightly shake her. "But...why do I still love him!? It's not fair…!"

"...Love happens in unexpected ways," the pink friend replied. "It's always been fate that plays a part."

"Why can't I just be happy for you…? I'm such a terrible sister...It only hurts more seeing you with him, let alone how others view me now because of the past..."

"And how do you think I'd feel if you left?"

Berry dropped her arms.

"What about my feelings, Berry? You don't think I have a say in this? You don't think I care about you or your feelings? You don't think it's destiny for us to stay together?"

"O-Of course I do! It's just…!"

"It's just?"

"...Why would anyone care about me after what I did!? Don't I just get in the way!?"

The magenta friend was embraced in a hug.

"...The only one that's in your way is you."

The sister couldn't believe what she just heard.

"Of all the years I've known you, you never knew what it meant to give up. Since my return, no one has thought about your past. They've only looked into who you are now."

"...So what does that make me? What can I do to be genuine…?"

"Who you are now...is genuine. And you know who has recognized you the most?"

"Who…?"

"Bloo."

Berry was taken aback.

"He...He really noticed?"

"...I have."

The magenta friend nearly appeared in shock as Bloo entered the room.

"So this is where you both have been."

"How much did you hear?" Cherry asked.

"I hope I heard enough." He walked closer to Berry. "Want to know something? Back when I believed Cherry was you, she taught me to respect both of you. I had first acknowledged you when you went great lengths to bring Cherry back. You've taken care of her, kept her company, and treated her what it meant to be a part of the Foster family. From then on I never once compared you to what you were before, because I discovered that this is the happiest you've ever been."

He had a point. Before, the relationship between both sisters had always been strained. It wasn't their fault that they were separated, and that disconnection alone might have caused Berry to change. Without her twin for comfort, she turned to Bloo for attention. When others circled him, she worked to get him all to herself. She couldn't care less about others...all because she was separated from her sister. Without her, she was alone. Behind her mask of confidence was a face that feared detachment.

"You do belong here, sis," Cherry answered, smiling. "And with me here, we'll never be separated again."

To know to have their words behind her, more tears slipped down her face. The pink friend continued to hold her tightly.

"...I'm such an idiot," Berry said quietly. "I always thought I was the one looking out for you, but it turns out to be the opposite."

"I learned from the best."

"Would things be different if I hadn't taught you through tough love?"

"Perhaps. Then I still would've had my favorite book!"

Bloo smiled as the sisters partook in laughter. The magenta friend wiped her eyes and parted from the embrace.

"Thank you both...for everything," she said. "I'm sorry for all the trouble."

"It's all right," the blue friend replied. "So are you gonna return to the party, or what?"

"Yeah, but on one condition."

He was in for quite a surprise when she had suddenly rushed in to plant a peck on his cheek.

"...Make sure you don't break her heart, okay?" She whispered with a happy, but demeaning tone.

Too bad it wasn't quiet enough to prevent Cherry from bopping a fist on her head.

"There's no need to play bodyguard." She smiled.

"I know, I know...I'm just messing with him."

Surely Bloo has nothing to worry about, being as oblivious as he is in some cases. But that was beside the point. They had a party to get back to.

The pink friend was right. Living here had always been destiny.

THE END


End file.
